Boundaries
by mmmills
Summary: 17 year old Emma Swan is admitted to Storybrooke Psychiatric Hospital after a suicide attempt and it is there that she meets the beautiful nurse Regina Mills. Will Regina break the boundaries of nursing as she develops feelings for Emma or will she put her career first?
1. Chapter 1

Emma was sat cross-legged on her small double bed with the empty boxes in front of her. As the pills started to work their way into her blood stream she felt more and more nauseous. She could feel her pulse quickening and her vision became blurry. " _Fucking work already_ " Emma whispered as she fell onto her back and stretched her legs out. She lay there shaking, staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours. Slowly tears started to slide down her temples and soaked into her golden hair. Breathing slowly to try and calm herself down, Emma closed her eyes and willed the world to fade away.

* * *

" _DAVID CALL AN AMBULANCE_ " Mary Margaret screamed to her other half as she ran to Emma's bedside the next morning. " _Emma wake up_!"

* * *

 _Emma Swan, 17-year-old female, overdose of acetaminophen, suspected suicide attempt. We found two empty pill boxes by her bed_ " a male paramedic explained to the doctor at the hospital

" _BP 92 over 50, Pulse 31 and crashing, we need to get her to resus now!"_ the doctor exclaimed whilst beginning CPR.

* * *

As Emma woke up the only thing she could hear was a slow, repetitive beeping from a nearby machine letting her know she was alive. She opened her eyes carefully as the light from the room threatened to blind her. " _Emma? You're awake?"_ Her mother asked hopefully. Emma just closed her eyes again and prayed to a god she didn't believe in to make the pain go away. MM pressed the nurse call button attached to the side of Emma's bed and waited.

The nurse walked through the ward and into Emma's room. The sound of her shoes on the ground forcing Emma to reopen her eyes to see who has arrived. The nurse looked at Emma with a glare that could stop a dog from barking " _Emma, we have stabilised you so physically you are fine. Mentally, you clearly need some help so we have made some calls and you will be transferred to Storybrooke adolescent psychiatric facility tomorrow morning."_

" _What if I refuse?"_ Emma huffed back keeping her eyes firmly on her blanket covered legs to avoid eye contact with the terrifying old woman in front of her.

" _Well Emma, then you will be sectioned and taken there against your will. It's really in everyone's best interests if you go willingly_ "

" _Please Emma, we want you better"_ MM spoke calmly leaning over the edge of the bed to hold onto Emma's hand.

" _What if that isn't what I want?"_ Emma shouted back pulling her hand towards her chest and out of MM's grip.

* * *

The next morning Emma woke up to a suitcase at the end of her bed with a note tied to the handle " _Sorry I couldn't be here today, I love you, Mom x"_

 _"Fuck her!"_ Emma said to herself as she ripped the note off and threw it into the trash can.

" _You would do better than to use language like that dear"_ A strong yet feminine voice came from the corner of the room behind Emma.

" _Shit!"_ Emma jumped and turned to face the stranger " _Who the fuck are you?"_

 _"Did you not hear me a moment ago? It's not ladylike to swear like that"_

 _"Answer my question"_ Emma growled angrily hiding the fact she was actually scared of this intruder in her room.

 _"I am Nurse Mills; you can call me Regina if you like. I work at the Psychiatric Hospital in Storybrooke and I am here to take you there when you're ready but I have to say if you don't watch your language, Miss Swan, we are not going to get along" Regina explained_

" _Well, I don't want to go to your hospital, Regina. I am fine and don't need your help so if you will excuse me" Emma tried as she attempted to walk out of the room._

 _Regina instantly moved and blocked the doorway with her body and Emma walked into her._

 _"Not a chance Miss Swan, I can and will restrain you into the car"_ Regina replied as Emma took a step back sizing Regina up. She was slightly shorter than Emma and was wearing a Black blazer and matching skirt. She looked like she was running for office. _"Fucking try me"_

Regina didn't respond instantly. She looked at Emma straight in the eyes and raised a brow confrontationally, giving her a chance to change her mind and get into the car willingly. Emma just looked back at her angrily. Regina smirked before she grabbed Emma's arms and had them pinned behind her and was pushing her down the hospital corridor towards the parking lot within seconds. Emma tried to free her arms to no avail so gave up and walked to the car with Regina holding her the whole way.

" _Now Miss Swan, the back seat of this vehicle can only be opened from the outside so I am going to put you in here and go and get your belongings. You do not move; you do not make a sound. Do you understand me?"_ Regina warned Emma, who just nodded in defeat as she climbed into the car. She sat behind the passenger seat and stared at her hands in her lap. The thin angry red lines barely showing beneath her hoodie sleeves but it was enough for her to pull them down in bunches over her hands. Within a few minutes, Regina had returned and was putting Emma's suitcase into the trunk. She smoothed her skirt down and sat in the driver's seat.

" _Have you calmed down Miss Swan?"_

 _"Yes"_

 _"Good, then we can get going. Would you like to listen to the radio?"_

 _"No"_

 _"no what dear?"_

 _"No thank you?"_ Emma scoffed rolling her eyes.

 _"good girl"_

* * *

The drive took around 45 minutes and was in relative silence apart from Regina asking Emma if she was ok about 20 minutes into the journey. Eventually, they drove up to a beautiful old building and Regina told Emma they had arrived.

" _fucking great"_

 _"language Miss Swan"_

 _"sorry"_

 _"It's quite alright, dear"_

 _"umm. Can we…"_

 _"Can we what?"_

 _"Can we sit here for a few more minutes?"_

 _"I don't think that will be a problem at all"_

 _"Thank you"_

Regina just smiled and turned back to face the front of the car.

* * *

A few minutes passed before Regina got out of the car and opened Emma's door. She stood and waited for Emma to climb out which after a few seconds she did.

" _Wait here, I'm just going to get your bag"_ Regina explained

Once she had the suitcase out of the trunk and had walked back to Emma, Regina raised her eyebrows as if to ask if Emma was ready to which she just shrugged weakly. Regina started to walk towards the entrance of the large building, her heels seemingly not a problem on the loose stones driveway. Emma stalked closely behind thinking about just sprinting in the opposite direction but as if she was a mind reader Regina spoke up " _I can run in these heels but I would prefer not to, dear"._ Emma stopped walking in shock and Regina followed suit when she stopped hearing footsteps steps on the stones behind her. " _I can read you like a book Miss Swan, so do we have an agreement? No absconding whilst I'm wearing heels"_ Emma just shrugged her shoulders noncommittedly still thinking about running but for some reason, she didn't want to upset Regina. Why did she care what that rude woman thought of her? So as if to prove a point to herself she turned and broke into a full sprint back towards the main road. She could hear Regina's heels on the stone behind her, they were just as fast as her in sneakers. Impressive. Emma made it to the street and was about to run into the traffic with no concern for her safety when she felt two arms wrap around her torso and they grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her in a lock.

" _Get off me you bitch!"_ Emma growled as people started staring.

" _I am simply trying to help you Miss Swan so if you would stop resisting we could get into the hospital_ " Regina replied calmly by sternly

 _"No, I'm not going"_ Emma huffed

 _"I told you I didn't want to run in these heels, we are going back to the hospital and you are going to do it willingly, do you understand"_ Regina spoke the last three words quietly into Emma's ear which sent shivers down her spine. She scowled but nodded and walked with Regina holding her arms behind her back to the hospital

* * *

When they eventually arrived at the ward, immediately as they walked through the door Regina handed Emma and her suitcase over to a tall male nurse with no explanation and walked back out of the hospital without even looking towards the blonde. Emma looked at the man with furrowed brows as she rubbed her now sore wrists from Regina's strong grip. Emma looked around at her new home. The corridor was quite long and had many identical doors on either side. There was an archway into what looked like a lounge and a set of stairs going down with a sign saying 'Dining Room". There were 2 navy blue sofas facing each other in the middle of the corridor with a coffee table in between. There was a small radio on the table playing a song Emma had heard a few times before. Eventually, her attention was brought back to the strange man looking at her kindly.

" _Don't mind her Emma; she has a bit of a temper_. _I'm Robin and I will be your key nurse during your stay here, that means I am in charge of your care plan here. Anything you need you come to me and I will do my very best to help you out. All of the staff here are lovely and are all available if you need to chat about anything at any time"_

Robin started to lead Emma into a room off to the side of the main corridor. " _This here is your room, no other patients will come in here and staff will only come in to check on you unless you invite them in. This is your space and unless we feel like you are at risk you will be allowed to have your privacy as much as possible. At the moment as you are new you will be checked on every 15 minutes but as we get to know you that can change to half an hour and even an hour as long as you keep yourself safe. The other patients are currently in the school room and will be out at lunch time so you can meet them then if you want to. I can also introduce you to a patient who can look out for you as you settle in if that is what you would prefer."_

Emma started to feel overwhelmed with all of the Information she was getting at once. She sat down on the edge of her bed and stared at her hands in her lap.

Robin kneeled down in front of Emma and tapped her knee to get her to look at him. " _I want us to have a good working relationship Emma, that way you can get the most out of this place before you leave. Do you have any questions?"_

All Emma could think about what the cruel woman that drove her over here and she didn't know why. " _Where's Regina_?" Emma heard herself asking. " _She is on her break at the moment, would you like me to ask her to come and see you when she gets back?"_ Robin asked with genuine care in his wide eyes. Emma nodded and asked if she could have some time alone. " _Of course Emma, I will come and pop my head in to see you in 15 minutes"._ Robin said with a smile and left.

* * *

Emma had always had a strained relationship with her parents, her mother in particular. MM was an extremely critical woman and was could be harsh when it came to Emma. She never censored her opinions when it came to her daughter and at times the comments her mother made really did hurt Emma's feelings. MM picked at Emma until her self-esteem was non-existent. Her parents loved her dearly but she never felt cared about with them and now, in this new place full of people who want to care for her and Emma feels completely alone. 'How is it you can be surrounded by people and still feel alone?' She writes in her diary before she hides it underneath her mattress.

* * *

Emma lay on her side facing away from the door and stared at the wall. Her vision became blurry as her eyes filled with tears until suddenly a quiet knock forced her to blink her eyes clear. " _Come in"_ Emma managed but her voice cracked as she tried not to cry. The door opened and Regina walked in. Emma suddenly felt warm, and she smiled at the woman. " _I'm sorry for earlier Regina, I wasn't thinking straight"_ Emma offered. Regina walked over and sat on the armchair next to the bed Emma was now sitting on and put her hand on Emma's leg. " _There is no need to apologise, dear, you're here to get better. The decisions you make when you are unwell are not an accurate representation of who you are, make sure you remember that."_ Emma's leg tingled where Regina's hand was and she gave her a half smile.

" _So how are you feeling now Emma?"_

 _"Fine, I'm fine"_ Emma lied.

" _Oh, you're going to lie to me? I had hoped we could begin this relationship built on trust. I can't help you if I don't know what is going on in your head"_

 _"I'm fine Regina, I just…I don't know"_

 _"I will leave you to settle in and I will come back a bit later dear. I will either be in the lounge area with the other patients or in the office, which is directly opposite your room if you need me"_

Emma just nodded and looked down at the ground as Regina left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note- Trigger warning. This whole chapter is based on self-harm. I have made the paragraphs that are directly about it underlined so they can easily be skipped and the chapter can still be understood however as the whole chapter is about it feel free to skip this one if you need to!**

 **Rated M for language and topic.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Emma awoke confused and scared. She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest and put her chin on her knees. She stayed like that for a few minutes whilst she came to terms with where she was. The sun had yet to rise so Emma guessed it was in the early hours of the morning. She clambered out of bed and stretched her arms towards the ceiling which made her back click. She decided to leave her room and find out if anyone was around to talk to, she was bored senseless in her room alone. She edged slowly out of her room and paused in the doorway when she saw a group of 4 girls sat on the ground playing a card game in the corridor by all of the bedrooms. She stood watching for a while until a hand on her shoulder brought her back. " _Hey Emma, I'm Milah. You can play with them if you want to? They don't bite"._ Emma smiled and looked over at the girls again as they laughed and played like they weren't sitting in the middle of a psychiatric hospital. " _What time is it?"_ Emma asked Milah. " _It's 11:15, you've been asleep since before lunch according to the day staff. Bedtime here is usually 10 on a school night but the girls stay up a few nights a week and play cards. We don't really mind as long as they don't keep the others awake and aren't too tired to go to school the next day"._ Emma nodded but she was still watching the girls. She really did want to go and sit with them but didn't have the courage so she went to turn around to go back into her room when one of the girls called over. " _Hey, Emma right? I'm Ruby and this is Anna, Ella and Belle. We are just playing a game of rummy if you want to join us?"_ Ruby asked with a wide smile. She was very pretty; all of the girls were. Emma walked over and sat down in the space between Belle and Ruby. _"I don't know how to play_ " Emma admitted. _"Not a problem, we can deal you in and I can help you out until you learn the rules if you like?"_ Belle offered. Emma suddenly felt like she had friends, she never really had any at school because everyone thought she was weird so she kept to herself but here, these girls accepted her for who she was. She felt like she was going to like it here.

* * *

The next morning Emma woke up to Robin doing the wake-up calls. " _Morning Emma, breakfast is in 45 minutes"._ Emma half-smiled and climbed out of bed as Robin went to the next room to wake the other patients up. She combed through her hair and pulled it into a lose pony and went to brush her teeth. Looking at herself in the mirror as she brushed she started to cry. She hated looking at herself, she hated the way she looked. She slashed water over her face to get rid of the blotchiness that always appears when she cries and she went to change out of her pyjamas. She decided on skinny black jeans, a white tank top covered with an oversized black knitted sweater. Then she heard a knock on the door. Ruby poked her head round " _you ready for breakfast Ems?"_ Emma smiled slightly at the use of a nickname and followed Ruby into the dining area.

Regina wasn't there and Emma doesn't know why she felt so bothered by that. She met the other patients at breakfast over beans on toast and hot chocolates. There were the girls from last night, another girl called Katheryn that Ruby had warned Emma about, Kris, Peter, Killian and Will. Killian was speaking loudly about how it was his last week there and how he was being discharged. Will didn't speak at all and just pushed his food around his plate. Robin sat at the head of the table and there were 2 other staff members: Graham and Marian. Graham had two full sleeve tattoos that Emma decided she wanted to get a closer look at later on.

After breakfast, the other patients went to the school room but Emma didn't want to go so Robin allowed her to have the day off as long as she went tomorrow which Emma promised and went into her room.

Emma sat on the windowsill and stared out into the hospital grounds. The gardens surrounding the building were as picturesque as the building itself with trees and flowers separated by a cobblestone pathway leading to a covered area with picnic tables and a small pond.

The window of the hospital only opened about 10cm to hinder the patients from being able to get through the gap. Emma began to feel very claustrophobic and panicky. She started pacing the length of her room which was about 4 steps each way. Her heart was racing and she was hyperventilating. Suddenly without thinking she grabbed the plate that was left in her room the day before that once held her lunch and threw it at the wall. Luckily all of the patients were in the schoolroom at the other end of the hospital so no one heard the smash. She knelt down and grabbed one of the shards of china and took it into the bathroom. She had to do it, she didn't know any other way to calm down. She needed to feel the release. She put the shard to her forearm and pushed down hard. As the blood trickled down her arm and pooled into the sink she felt like she could breathe again. The china was sharper than she had thought it was and the cut was deep. Extremely deep. Emma grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her arm to try and soak up the blood. It wouldn't stop. She didn't know what to do, she had never gone this deep before. She pushed down hard with the towel and held it there for a few minutes until it stopped. She wrapped it up in toilet roll and pulled her sleeve down over it and walked out of the bathroom and left the mess to deal with later.

* * *

Lunchtime came quickly and Belle ran up to Emma's door so they could walk down to the dining room together.

" _Hey Emma, you okay? You didn't come to school today"_

 _"_ _I'm good, no I didn't really feel like school today so I read in my room"_

 _"_ _I love reading! What book are you reading?"_

 _"_ _The girl on the train"_

 _"_ _ooh I haven't read that, can I borrow it after you?"_

 _"_ _of course!"_

Emma and Belle walked down to the dining room arm in arm followed by Ruby, Anna, Ella, Katheryn and the boys.

As they sat down at the long table Emma quickly realised Regina was here. She jogged up to her at the hot drinks machine

" _Hey Regina"_

 _"_ _Hello Miss Swan"_

 _"_ _Where were you this morning?"_

 _"_ _Miss me, dear?"_ Regina stifled a laugh

" _umm well no but I was just wondering"_

 _"_ _please stop babbling, I wasn't working this morning I had things to attend to so I will be working later this evening instead. Is that a good enough answer?"_

Emma just nodded and went to walk away but stopped.

" _what are you drinking?"_

 _"_ _is this 21 questions?"_

 _"_ _no, I just don't know what one is the best so I wanted your opinion"_ Emma answered trying to sound confident even though just being around Regina made her feel vulnerable.

"try the C _appuccino"_

Emma placed one of the paper hot drinks cups into the machine and pressed the button for a cappuccino looking at the brunette adding milk to her own drink to her right. When Emma's drink had finished pouring she added a milk packet and two sugars. Regina watched from behind with a smirk before she sat back down at the dining table.

Emma sat down next to Regina and in front of Ruby and Belle. She was immediately thrown into a conversation about music and favourite musicians. Regina sat silently sipping her drink happily watching Emma from the corner of her eye talking passionately about her favourite bands until she saw a trickle of blood run from underneath Emma's sweater sleeve onto the palm of her hand as she leant to pick up her drink. Regina slammed her drink into the table, grabbed Emma's non-bleeding hand and pulled her out of the dining room whilst mouthing to the other staff that she would be a minute or so. She walked Emma to the nearest bathroom and locked the door behind them.

" _What the fuck Regina"_

 _"_ _Don't swear at me Miss Swan. Are you aware that you are bleeding?"_ Regina asked with concern showing through her angry exterior. Emma instantly grabbed her arm and turned away from Regina. She pulled the sleeve up slightly to look at the now pouring wound. The nurse gently pulled on Emma's shoulder to turn her around so she could see. She placed her hand gently underneath the bleeding forearm to take the weight of it and used the thumb on her other hand to stroke the skin below the wound carefully.

" _Emma, why have you done this to yourself?"_ Regina almost sounded upset as she looked up at her face.

The blonde didn't respond.

" _You need stitches"_

 _"_ _no, it's fine"_ Emma responded and pulled her arm away from Regina's grip.

" _Emma, you need stitches. We are going to go back into the dining hall to tell Robin and Marian that we are going back up to the ward and then we are going to talk to Dr Whale"_ Regina explained firmly whilst looking at Emma like she was a small child.

Emma just nodded and followed Regina as they walked through the dining room, she waited whilst Regina whispered something to Robin who looked concerned nodding seriously and then upstairs onto the empty ward.

* * *

" _Sit"_ Regina ordered pointing to the sofa outside the nurse's office so Emma sat down and waited as Regina went into the office to call Dr Whale.

She stared at the floor for a few minutes hearing the muffled sounds of Regina's sensual voice. Sensual? Why was she thinking like that? But before Emma could think any more about it Regina emerged from the office.

" _a taxi is on its way to take the two of us to the hospital"_

" _Brilliant"_ Emma responded flatly.

" _I'm not particularly over the moon either Miss Swan. I'm not a huge fan of hospitals"_

 _"_ _sorry"_ Emma mumbled.

Regina just nodded once and checked her watch as they waited for the taxi to arrive.

The waiting room at the hospital was split into two, adults and children and because Emma was under 18 she was told to wait in the children's area. Regina's displeasure at this was visible for anyone to see. Emma walked to the far corner of the waiting room and sat down. Regina perched next to her and looked at her with concern. " _are you ok dear?"_

Emma nodded and gave her a half-hearted smile.

* * *

About half an hour into the wait Emma suggested they play a game to pass the time, Regina decided to humour her.

" _what type of game are you thinking?" Regina inquired_

 _"_ _what about that one you mentioned earlier? 21 questions?"_

 _"H_ _ow about we use the time to get to know each other a little better? We can take it in turns asking each other questions. Nothing too personal of course and I will even let you go first, Miss Swan"_

 _"o_ _k. Umm. What's your favourite colour?"_

 _"_ _The questions can be a little more personal than that dear. My favourite colour is purple but I will let you ask another. I must be in a good mood today"_ Regina smirked

Emma sat and thought for a moment furrowing her brow whilst Regina watched her suppressing a smile.

 _"_ _When did you lose your virginity?"_ Emma finally asked

 _"_ _I was 17, what about you?"_ Regina seemed unfazed by the question and answered it as if talking about the weather.

 _"_ _I was 14, I think"_

Regina's face fell and she started glaring at the wall in front of them. Emma frowned " _what's wrong?"_ she asked the now clearly upset brunette.

" _This encounter… it was consensual right?"_ Regina asked slowly, still staring straight ahead.

" _Yes! I wanted to, well I wish I hadn't now, but I wanted to then"_

Regina audibly released the breath that even she didn't know she had been holding and cleared her throat to try and hide the relief. She felt strangely protective over the blonde and the idea that someone could hurt her made Regina feel physically unwell. She gave a small smile and looked towards Emma.

" _your turn"_

* * *

Emma wanted to ask Regina a lot of questions but didn't want to ask anything too personal and push her away.

" _Why did you decide to become a mental health nurse?"_ Emma risked

Regina paused for a moment and debated whether to lie or not. She decided on the truth.

" _Someone I cared about was unwell for a long time. He never got any help and ultimately he lost his life to his mental illness. I couldn't help him so I decided to devote my life to helping the people I was still able to"_ Regina spoke as if she was reading from a book showing no emotions.

" _I'm sorry,"_ Emma said quietly and put her hand on Regina's forearm and started rubbing small circles with her thumb.

" _It's fine dear, so now it's my turn. Are you single?"_ Regina changed the subject swiftly. Emma removed her hand from the brunette's arm and placed it back in her lap.

" _yes I am. Are you?"_ Emma answered quickly without thinking. Regina shook her head.

" _Personal questions dear"_

 _"_ _so I can know when you lost your virginity but I can't know if your single? I told you I was"_ Emma said with a pout.

Regina thought about this for a while " _Yes I am single; can we move on now?"_

Emma gave her a small smile and nodded.

" _Why are we here Miss Swan?"_

Emma was taken aback by this question.

" _umm because you said I needed stitches"_ Emma was uncomfortable by the sudden change in atmosphere.

" _That isn't what I meant, why did you do it?"_

Emma looked at her hands in her lap and didn't say anything. Regina hesitated but took one of the blonde's hands and held it between her own.

" _I want to understand Emma"_

Before Emma could say anything a nurse from down the hall called her to be seen.

* * *

The room they were brought into was small with grey blue walls covered in stickers depicting an underwater landscape. The nurse had gone to get the doctor so the two were alone in the room. Emma looked around at the fishes on the wall whilst Regina stared at her.

" _Hello Emma"_ The doctor mumbled as he strode into the room. He clearly didn't want to be there.

Emma looked warily at him and turned to Regina with wide eyes.

" _She has a wound on her arm and I believe she requires stitches"_ Regina took over as she saw Emma was uncomfortable.

" _and you are?"_ the doctor asked rudely.

" _Regina Mills, I'm a nurse at Storybrooke psych facility where Emma is currently residing. So are you going to do your job and look at her arm or am I going to have to request another doctor?"_ Regina growled back.

The doctor sat up in the desk chair quickly and reached his hand out for Emma to place her arm into. She hesitated but slowly pulled her sleeve back and showed her arm to the doctor. Regina placed her hand on Emma's back and rubbed up and down caringly for a few moments but stopped herself. Why did she feel so close to this girl after only 2 days? She folded her arms over her chest but still watched Emma's face for any signs of pain so she would have a reason to show that doctor exactly what she thought of him.

" _She is going to need stitches"_ the doctor finally spoke.

" _and 8 years in education told you that? Did I not state her need for sutures when we arrived? Do you enjoy wasting our time?"_ Regina was standing now, shouting at the doctor and getting angrier by the second but she wasn't sure why until she looked over at Emma. Her eyes were wide with fear. Regina put her hand gently on Emma's shoulder and watched as she flinched so removed her hand and took a deep breath.

" _You will need to wait here for a little while until another doctor is free to do the sutures, I am only on diagnostics today Miss Mills so I cannot do them I'm afraid"_ but he didn't seem particularly bothered about it and neither was Regina.

 _"_ _That's not a problem, we will wait here"_ She spoke carefully and as calmly as she could so to reduce Emma's anxiety.

* * *

The second the door slammed shut Emma finally spoke " _he was a dick"_

Regina laughed and the sound made Emma's heart race.

" _Indeed he was dear… are you okay? I didn't scare you, did I?"_ Regina asked quietly.

" _a little but you were looking out for me so its ok. I forgive you"_ Emma said with a cheeky smirk.

" _Oh is that right? Well thank you for finding it within your heart to forgive me"_ Regina joked smiling widely and looked around the room for the first time. " _The décor in this room is atrocious"_

Emma just nodded and looked around her for something to do to fill the time. She found an elastic tourniquet used for blood tests and started playing with it.

" _You're such a child Miss Swan_ " Regina said stifling a laugh whilst crossing her legs.

Emma pulled it back as if to make it fly across the room like a sling shot but ended up flinging it straight into her face. Regina rushed to her side

 _"_ _Emma, are you okay_?" she asked concerned. Emma burst into laughter _"I'm fine, relax"_

" _How can I relax when I'm in a room with an idiot"_ her eyes glistened as she laughed. Emma noticed how her brown eyes looked like melted chocolate. Regina noticed her staring at her and looked back at her with furrowed brows. Emma's eyes were like emeralds. The young blonde looked so much older than her age suggested. The dark bags under her eyes indicating her lack of sleep was much longer than a few nights and the way she bit on her bottom lip when she was anxious made Regina's chest hurt. This woman had come into her life and made her question everything she had ever thought about herself. She didn't get attached to people, especially not patients because everyone she had ever loved had left her. Yet she looks at the girl with the emerald eyes and the curly golden hair and she would take away all of her pain and have it herself in a heartbeat. Emma cleared her throat and Regina was pulled out of her thoughts.

" _everything okay?"_ Emma asked

Regina just nodded and smiled down at her lap waiting for the doctor to arrive.

* * *

 **A special thanks to my official Beta, my amazing friend and the Charming to my Snow (in the most platonic way possible, chill babe) Anyway, you should all go and check out her Tumblr because its SQ AF and makes me laugh - withyou-believing**


	3. Chapter 3

The doctor walked into the room about twenty minutes after the last one left. " _Hello, I'm Dr Winters. Will you both follow me into the treatment room please"_ the doctor said with a friendly smile. Regina and Emma both stood up and preceded to the treatment room

* * *

The room was white everywhere you looked with a hospital bed directly in the middle. There were cabinets all around labelled with what they held and a big floor lamp over the bed that looked like it could light up a soccer pitch. _"Emma, would you mind laying on the bed?"_ Dr Winters asked. Emma pushed herself up onto the bed and swung her legs around until she was laying on her back. The doctor wheeled a stainless steel table over to the bed, put on some blue gloves and started to unpack the suture kit. Emma was biting on her lower lip watching the doctor taking out the array of tools.

" _Before I do the sutures I am going to inject the area around the wound with a numbing agent. This can be quite painful however once it is done you I can assure you that you won't feel a thing"_ the doctor explained looking Emma in the eyes. The blonde nodded in understanding and rolled her sweater sleeve up and moved her arm to the side of the bed the doctor was on. Regina, who was standing on Emma's other side opposite the doctor, looked away. For some reason looking at the wound upset her more than any she has seen before. It wasn't the worse she had seen by any means, but it was the first she had seen on Emma.

As the doctor pulled the needle out of the pack Emma started to hyperventilate. Regina instinctively wrapped her arm under Emma's neck and pulled her head into her abdomen. Emma instantly nestled into the older woman's stomach. Regina used one hand to stroke the blonde's hair and the other to hold her hand. The Doctor looked to Regina to ask if she could start and she just blinked slowly.

The needle went into her arm and Emma whimpered in pain. She squeezed Regina's hand as hard as she could to try and distract herself from the burning feeling in her arm. Regina didn't mind at all, she just wanted the young girl's pain to be over. She continued to stroke golden hair as the blonde pushed further into her stomach. Regina winced as Emma held her hand so forcefully she was sure it was going to fall off. Emma moved her head slowly away from Regina and looked up at her. Her green eyes were red from being squeezed shut for so long. Regina offered her a small smile of encouragement. The doctor had just finished the numbing injections and was threading the suture needle. As the doctor went to start suturing Emma moved her head back to being cradled in Regina's arm against her stomach. She stayed like that until the doctor announced she had finished.

" _Your very brave Miss Swan"_ Regina admitted as Emma stood up " _I didn't cry"_ Emma made sure Regina knew she wasn't a baby. " _I am aware; my shirt is dry dear. It is why I said you are extremely brave, I'm proud of you"_ Emma smiled widely. No one had ever said they were proud of her before and now all she wanted was to make Regina proud enough to tell her that every day.

* * *

Back on the ward, the other patients were quick to ask Emma what happened at lunch and where she had been for the past 4 hours. Emma told them she wasn't feeling well so she was taken to see a doctor. No one believed her but they let it go.

They had a little while before dinner so Emma went to wash the hospital smell off of her in the shower. She was careful not to get her new sutures wet which was a struggle when washing her hair. The coconut shampoo and conditioner she always used smelled great in comparison to antiseptic. She got out of the shower and got changed into blue jeans with rips in the knees and a baggy Jets hoodie that once belonged to her father. She decided against drying her hair and let it fall damp down her back to air dry as she walked out of her room and was greeted by Ruby and Ella sitting on the couches in the corridor. " _Hey Ems, are you coming to the movies with us tonight?"_

 _"_ _the movies? Like outside of the hospital?"_

 _"_ _yeah! Every Tuesday we all go out for the evening, we vote on a Monday morning and we decided yesterday we wanted to see The men who stare at goats"_

 _"_ _let me ask Robin if I'm allowed"_

Emma walked up to the nurse's office and knocked on the door. Robin smiled as he opened the door and saw the blonde standing there.

" _What can I do you for young Emma"_

 _"_ _I was wondering if I was allowed to go with the others to the movies today?"_

 _"_ _Well, you did try to run only a few days ago, can you promise me you won't try that tonight?"_

 _"_ _I promise"_ Robin could see Emma was being sincere so allowed her to go.

* * *

Emma, the other patients, Robin and Marian walked into the movie theatre and bought their tickets, popcorn and sodas. As they sat down Ruby and Ella asked if they could sit next to Emma. She nodded happily as she had never experienced people being excited to be around her before. She sipped her drink smiling to herself whilst the movie started.

* * *

When they got back to the ward it was around 9pm. Regina had already gone home and the night staff were there. Robin and Marian quickly wrote up their patient notes for the day and went home.

Emma sat with the girls on the floor and Ruby brought out the deck of cards. The blonde was starting to get the hang of rummy and was actually quite good at it. "S _top winning Emma!"_ Anna complained. Emma just laughed as she shuffled the deck for the next game. " _Who's in?"_ Emma asked the group smirking confidently. A round of "me!'" filled the air for a second before the blonde started to deal the cards out. The boys were playing pool at the other end of the corridor chatting quietly to themselves, except for Will who was just watching with his back against the wall. The game lasted about 20 minutes and Emma allowed Belle to win this time. " _I'm going to make a hot chocolate if anyone wants one?"_ Kathryn asked the group who all said no. Emma stood up and smiled " _I'll come with you"_ The girls walked into the small kitchen and got two mugs out.

" _How are you feeling Emma?"_ Kathryn asked as she added sugar into her plastic mug.

" _I'm doing okay I guess, I am feeling a little homesick and I wish we wouldn't have such fancy food. I just want chicken nuggets once in a while you know?"_

 _"_ _I completely understand, I felt the same way when I arrived. You will get used to it here, or hopefully, you'll leave before you do"_

 _"_ _yeah I guess"_ Emma filled her cup with hot water and walked to the other side of the kitchen to grab some biscuits to bring back to the girls. Kathryn placed her cup on the counter and walked towards the blonde. " _Want a biscuit Kath?"_ Emma asked uncomfortable about the sudden decrease in personal space. " _No, I want you"_ Kathryn whispered as she grabbed Emma's face and kissed her roughly. Emma froze, confused and slightly grossed out. " _get off me!"_ Emma shouted as she pushed Kathryn away from her and ran out of the kitchen forgetting her drink and biscuits. Emma ran straight to the nurse's office and knocked on the door. Neal opened the door " _What's up?"_

 _"_ _umm, Kathryn just kissed me..."_

 _"_ _right… do you want me to talk to her about that?"_ Neal asked genuinely trying to be helpful.

 _"_ _I want you to keep her away from me!"_ Emma exclaimed loudly enough for the girls in the corridor to look over to see what was going on.

 _"_ _not a problem, I will make sure the incident is written down in today's hand over notes so the rest of the staff are aware"_

Emma nodded and turned to walk into her bedroom to go to bed early ignoring the girls calling her name.

* * *

The next morning Emma woke up to Regina doing the morning calls. " _Morning Miss Swan"_ Regina whispered into Emma's ear and was stroking her arm to wake her up gently. Emma grumbled and tried to wiggle under the duvet to escape her. " _not a morning person dear?"_ Regina laughed and tried to tickle Emma's sides through the covers. Emma squealed and tried to throw a pillow at the brunette " _I'm up! Stop!"_ Emma pleaded as she climbed out of bed in blue checkered pyjama bottoms and a white tank top. Regina smiled " _Good morning Emma,"_ she said with a giggle " _I will see you at breakfast"_ then she turned to continue the wake-up calls." _Make me a cappuccino!"_ Emma called as Regina shut the door behind her.

Emma sat down on her bed to try and gather the strength to get dressed, she still wasn't used to the early mornings. She could hear Regina knocking to wake Ruby up next door. " _Wake up Ruby, Breakfast is in less than an hour_ " the nurse almost yelled across from the door - much different to Emma's wake up call.

* * *

When Emma made her way down to the dining hall the majority of the patients and staff were already down there. There was an empty seat between Regina and Will with a paper cup in front of it so Emma assumed someone was sitting there until she looked at the brunette looking at her whilst pointing at the drink. She had made her a cappuccino. Emma took her seat and took a careful sip of the hot drink. " _mmm, thank you"_

Regina just smiled and sipped her drink delicately. The two sat in silence for the rest of the meal just listening to the conversations around them. Killian was going home that afternoon and was very excited about it, Ella and Anna were both visiting their families this weekend for one night and Will ate his oatmeal slowly ignoring everything around him like usual.

* * *

It had been a week since her hospital trip with Regina and she had an appointment to have her sutures removed this morning with Dr Whale. She was a little scared.

Neal and Marian were sitting on the couch filling out their patient observation sheets when the ward manager August asked Marian to talk Emma downstairs to the first aid room. Emma had hoped Regina would be working today so she could take her, she made her feel calm. Emma and Marian walked in concession through the part of the hospital that housed the adult patients to get to the first aid room. As they walked into the room the cold temperature hit them. Emma hugged herself and rubbed her arms to try and stay warm. The walls were grey and one of them was covered in shiny white cabinets. The room was brighter than the rest of the hospital. Emma looked up and saw a skylight. Dr Whale was putting on gloves when the women arrived.

" _Afternoon ladies, can I take a look at your arm Emma_?". Emma pushed the sleeve of her blue hoodie up to her elbow and presented her arm to the doctor.

 _"_ _It's healed beautifully, the doctor at the hospital did a good job with these. The scar should be reasonably small"._

 _"_ _Why did I have to go to the hospital? Why didn't you do the stitches?"_

 _"_ _We don't have the equipment for that, my dear. We can only deal with minor wounds among other things"_

Emma just nodded and watched as whale called a curved blade out of the pack _._

 _"_ _Marian?"_

 _"_ _Yes Emma"_

" _Is it alright if I hold your hand_? _"_ Emma requested meekly.

" _I think I can allow that given the current situation_ "

Emma held onto Marian's hand for the duration of the removal process. It was painful and all she wanted was to be back in the warmth of Regina's arms. Even as Emma whimpered Marian didn't stoke her hair like Regina did. It was distinctly different to before and the blonde realised she missed the older woman a lot more than she should.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N-**

 **Trigger Warning** **\- Topics such as self-harm and suicide so have underlined the paragraphs containing it. Easily skippable. Enjoy.**

* * *

The Community Meeting this Monday morning was rather boring but they decided on going to movies again the next day so Emma was happy. When everyone left the lounge Emma stayed in there as she decided to have a Harry Potter marathon throughout the day. She had brought the DVD's with her when she arrived and was putting The Philosopher's Stone into the DVD player when Will knocked quietly on the door. " _Hey Will, are you alright?"_ Emma asked with a smile turning her body to give Will her full attention.

" _Can I watch Harry Potter with you?"_ He asked so quietly Emma had to guess what he had asked.

" _of course"_ Emma turned back around to close the DVD player and jumped onto the couch next to the back window of the lounge. Will sat with his knees up on the armchair opposite the TV. As the theme music started to play after the adverts Will spoke again.

" _Which one is your favourite?"_

 _"probably The Goblet of Fire, what about you?"_ Emma was taken aback that Will was speaking. Harry Potter really does bring out the best in people...

" _mine is The Philosophers Stone"_ Will spoke louder this time; Emma didn't even have to strain to hear him.

" _We are watching that one now, they are all good if I'm completely honest."_ But Emma didn't want Will to stop talking. " _who is your favourite character?"_

 _"I like Hermione, she is really smart and takes charge when solving problems. It contradicts societies views on women being weak"_

The pleasantly surprised blonde turned her head slowly towards Will " _that's why I love Hermione too!"_

Will smiled and looked back towards the TV. They sat in silence for the rest of the movie. Emma planned to put the next movie on straight away once the first finished but Will walked out of the room before she could switch the DVDs so she turned the TV off and went to find the girls.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, apart from finishing The Girl on the Train and sliding it under Belles door for her to read, Emma was bored most of the day. She went to bed early in the evening and fell asleep quite quickly.

* * *

" _Morning Emma"_ Regina spoke softly as she brushed golden hair from opening emerald eyes. " _Morning Regina"_ Emma replied with a closed mouth smile. Regina turned to walk out as Emma called " _Regina?"_

 _"Yes Dear"_

 _"Don't forget my cappuccino"_ Emma smirked

Regina scoffed and walked out of the room smiling.

Emma was getting her morning routine down to a fine art. First, she sat on her bed for a few minutes whilst she woke up fully, sometimes she would get out of bed to look out of the window at the garden below. Then she would plod into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth and hair. Occasionally she would shower in the mornings but as she had more free time in the evenings she preferred to do it then, as did the other patients. After that she would choose her clothing for the day, she had just done her laundry so, today, she had all of her clothes to choose from. She picked out a loose burgundy button up shirt, dark blue jeans and knee high brown boots. Finally, depending on her mood she may apply some make-up and today she decided on clear lip gloss and mascara. She wasn't particularly into make-up, not like Ruby was anyway.

When Emma was ready she left her room and headed down to the Dining room. She was there earlier than usual but Regina was sitting in her usual seat with both her own and Emma's coffees which made the blonde smile to herself as she put some bread in the toaster. She didn't usually eat in the mornings but today she was feeling a little peckish. As the bread toasted she leant over the table to pick up the drink that was made for her and sipped it. She placed it opposite Regina mouthing thank you with a smile. She usually sat next to Regina so the older woman furrowed her brows in confusion, Emma was acting completely different this morning. She seemed… Happy?

Emma buttered her toast lightly and sat down opposite the now slightly concerned brunette. Emma just smiled at the frowning woman and sipped at her drink. She looked around the table and realised everyone had arrived except Will and no one had noticed his absence yet. " _I'm going to run upstairs and grab Will, I will be 2 seconds"._ Emma told Regina who nodded slowly and watched her jog out of the room.

Emma arrived on to the ward and no one was there, she jogged up to Will's door and knocked. " _Will? It's Emma. I've come to get you for breakfast_ " Emma called through the door but there was no response. Emma knocked louder. " _Will? Everything ok? If I've had to get up and you're still asleep I'm going to be so annoyed"_ she joked to hide her growing concern. She knocked once more and after no sounds from the other side on the door; she entered.

Emma walked around Will's bed to find the room was completely empty and was almost relieved until she saw the closed bathroom door. " _Will?"_ Emma was shouting now. No response. Luckily the bathroom doors didn't have locks on them so the blonde was able to get in, although she immediately wished she hadn't.

Will was blue. Not blue in the emotional sense. His skin was the colour of the sky. Emma jumped into action. She could see something black around his neck and rushed to take it off. She quickly realised that he had tied his headphones around his neck and the knot was extremely tight. Emma was shaking so much she couldn't undo it; she couldn't even hold the knot in one place. She smashed her hand into the wall until she found the emergency alarm and pressed it whilst she tried to shove her fingers into the headphones to allow him a gap to breathe.

It felt like forever until Robin, Regina and 3 other nurses she hadn't met before from the adult ward came sprinting in. Regina pulled Emma out into the corridor and Will's door was shut. Emma couldn't hear anything; it was like she was underwater.

" _Emma, are you ok?... Emma? Emma!"_ Regina was almost shouting into the younger woman's face.

The blonde wanted to scream and cry and fall on the floor but she didn't want anyone to worry about her. She could deal with how she was feeling, Will was more important right now. She looked up at Regina's eyes and smiled. The brunette frowned. " _Emma? What's going on?"_

 _"Nothing, I'm ok. Will is the one that needs help not me. I'm going back to breakfast"_ Emma tried to walk away but Regina grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

" _What?"_ Emma was irritated at not being able to run away and pretend she was fine.

" _talk to me, Emma_." All Regina got was a shrug and a facial expression she read as disgust so she let go of her arm and allowed her to leave.

* * *

The rest of the day was exhausting for Emma. She couldn't hide in her room like she wanted to or that would worry Regina, she couldn't cry or talk about how she felt for the same reason so she spent the entire day playing cards, watching movies and chatting with the other patients. The only time she got to herself was in the school room when she decided to do some practice exam papers so she was allowed to work on her own in the corner. Emma felt useless. She was the only one Will would talk to and she couldn't help him.

By the time the evening came around all Emma wanted was to go to sleep but her mind had other ideas. As if on autopilot the blonde ran a bath and got in fully clothed. She still had a small part of the plate from a few weeks ago that she had hidden behind the mirror on her wall. She took the shard of china against the arteries in her wrist and pushed down. 

It was about 15 minutes later when Milah found the blonde unconscious in a bath of red water. She pushed the emergency alarm button and tried to pull Emma out of the bath which wasn't hard because she didn't weigh much. When the other nurses arrived and saw the water and the girl splayed on the floor they all thought she was dead. One woman screamed. August checked for a pulse and found a weak one " _Call an ambulance now!"_ August shouted. He reached for the towel hanging on the back of the door and wrapped it around Emma's bleeding wrists. 

* * *

Emma was unconscious for the entire ambulance journey. The paramedics hooked her up to monitors and within seconds the monitors were warning them that the patient was crashing. There was nothing they could do in the back of a 5-tonne moving vehicle so they all sat watching Emma fade away.

* * *

" _Get some O neg"_ a well-dressed female doctor shouted to one of the nurses surrounding a scarily pale Emma in Resus. She has lost over half of her blood volume, she was in serious danger. The doctor attached the blood to Emma's IV and they all stood back and waited. The process was long and took 5 bags of blood to be transfused into Emma but after a few hours, the blonde was looking pink again.

* * *

When Emma eventually woke up David was by her bedside. " _Emma?"_ David spoke quietly as if speaking too loud would make Emma sicker. Emma turned her head to look at her father and smiled. " _Dad"._ Emma was happy to see him even if he was in his pyjamas. _"What time is it?"_ Emma asked weakly. " _It's around 2 in the morning sweetie"_ David looked at her like she was a puppy with a broken leg so Emma looked away. It was then that she saw August sitting on the other side of her bed. " _Hey"._ August spoke just as quietly as David. " _What happened?"_ Emma asked

" _You lost a lot of blood but luckily Milah found you before anything…"_ He stopped mid-sentence _, "the doctors want to observe you for a few more hours before discharging you."_

 _"Is Will ok?"_ Emma remembered suddenly what had happened the day before and it made her chest hurt. David looked confused.

" _Will is recovering well at the facility"_ This made Emma smile slightly and she turned back towards her father. A strand of her hair fell into her face and when she went to move it she noticed the thick bandages wrapped around both of her wrists. Everything clicked into place for her. She didn't remember what had happened the night before but she could take a guess. She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach that she couldn't get rid of.

" _Where is Mom?"_ Emma asked knowing the answer already.

" _She is at home asleep, I thought it best that I came alone but she loves you very much"_ That was code for 'your mother was drunk when we got the call so I came alone so she wouldn't throw up on your bandages'

Emma nodded and smiled sadly. She was tired so decided to try to get some sleep.

* * *

Emma woke up to the fancy looking doctor checking her blood pressure. " _Sorry my dear, this shouldn't take too long. Are you feeling any better?"_ Emma nodded and smiled assuming the doctor meant physically better. When the doctor left Emma sat up on the bed and stared at the bandages on her wrists.

" _you did a good job I hear"_ a familiar voice came from next to her.

 _"Shit"_ Emma jumped and turned to find Regina sitting staring straight ahead.

Regina didn't even comment on the blonde's language. Emma looked at her for a while until " _why are you staring at me Miss Swan?"_

 _"I'm worried about you"_

Regina suddenly looked angry. " _you're worried! I was terrified Emma. I got a phone call from my mother at 2 o'clock this morning saying one of my patients was in the hospital and it wasn't looking good. I haven't slept. I changed my shifts around so I could come and see you. I've never been so scared in my entire life Emma"_ Regina was crying.

" _your Mom?"_

 _"your doctor is my mother"_ Regina replied with a sniffle.

Emma stared for a few more seconds and then climbed out of bed. She sat next to Regina and wrapped her arm around her neck to pull her into a tight hug. She stroked her hair for a few minutes just like the brunette had done for her until Regina cleared her throat and moved away.

" _Why did you do it?"_ Regina asked in a whisper.

Emma shook her head and looked to the ground " _I don't remember"_ she replied honestly. Regina looked at her sadly and nodded slightly.

They sat in silence for a few moments until Emma's bladder ruined it.

" _I need the toilet"_ she announced whilst standing up.

" _Let's go then"_ Regina stood to follow the blonde.

Emma turned and raised an eyebrow at the older woman.

 _"Dr Whale has told us to place you on one to one observations. I can't let you out of my sight I'm afraid"_

" _Well you can wait outside, I will be 20 seconds"_ Emma tried.

" _Sorry, but if you're going to the toilet, I am going to be in the room with you."_

Emma shook her head in disbelief " _this is completely unnecessary! I'm fine and even if I wasn't, what exactly can I do in twenty seconds in a hospital bathroom!"_ Emma was borderline shouting.

" _We are trying to keep you safe Emma. We failed before and I sure as hell am not going to fail now."_ Underneath the frustration Emma could tell Regina was trying to not cry again so agreed for Regina to accompany her.

Emma was not happy with peeing in the room with Regina; she liked her privacy. Regina stood sideways so she could see the blonde in the corner of her eye " _I can only see your shape Miss Swan; I have no interest in watching you"_ Regina told the uncomfortable younger woman.

" _I'm still not happy about it"_ Emma complained.

" _I am aware"_ Regina giggled " _why don't you sing?"_

 _"what?"_ Emma replied with confusion.

Regina turned to the still standing blonde and explained " _My theory is that nobody can harm themselves whilst they are singing. So I will make you a deal, I will completely turn away as long as your singing, however, the second you stop I will look."_

Emma laughed at the older woman's idea but agreed anyway.

" _do you have any song preferences?"_ Emma asked with a smile.

" _Just use the toilet, the nurses will be concerned as to why we have been in here so long soon"_ Regina responded smiling to herself unbeknown to Emma.

" _You're a terrible singer dear"_ Regina joked _._

Emma lightly slapped her on the bicep as she sat back onto her bed.

" _Well, I never claimed to be Adele"_ This made Regina laugh which Emma had come to adore from the usually stoic woman.

* * *

Emma looked out of the window during the journey back to the ward. She watched as the buildings, people and cars all blurred into one. She missed the freedom of walking down the street. Regina sat glancing at the blonde every now and then trying to gauge how she was feeling from her poker face. She drove just below the speed limit the entire way; this was unusual for the woman who had had more speeding fines than meals at McDonald's. Regina was reckless, she didn't care about her own safety most of the time but now she was in the car with the beautiful blonde she had come to know, she felt almost protective over her. Emma had missed sitting in the front of the car, she could almost pretend she was a normal girl getting a lift home from school. That was until Regina pulled up to the place she had recently started to refer to as 'home. " _Can I trust you not to run this time?"_ Regina asked sincerely. Emma nodded and tried to open the car door; it was locked. " _I'm not unlocking the door until you promise me"_

Emma turned to look at the brunette's chocolate eyes " _I swear I will not run… I will gallop"_ Regina tried hard to remain serious but the blonde's cheeky grin made her giggle. She unlocked the car and they both climbed out. Regina was quick to walk to Emma's side of the car to see she was standing waiting for her. The older woman smiled and placed a hand gently on Emma's lower back leading her back into the ward.

Ruby was the first to run up to Emma when the two arrived. " _Em! What happened?!"_ the pretty girl asked with genuine concern. " _Nothing Rubes, just a silly accident"_ Emma lied. Ruby noticed the blondes bandaged wrists and put two and two together. " _You up for a game of Rummy?"_ Ruby asked changing the subject.

* * *

A few hours passed playing cards with the girls and seeing Will as he returned from his therapy session. Emma jumped up and hugged the young boy with Regina following her like a bodyguard. Will stood like a statue for a few moments but eventually hugged Emma back. Everyone on the ward watched in surprise, they didn't know the two were friends. " _I am sorry Emma"_ Will whispered.

" _what for?"_

 _"they said you found me"_

 _"mhh" the blonde nodded_

 _"I am sorry you saw that"_

Emma gave the boy a small smile and patted him on the back as she walked back to the card game.

Regina sat and watched Emma interact with the other patients. She saw how her eyes glistened when she laughed, how her tongue poked out between her lips when she was concentrating and how she purposely let the others win on more than one occasion. The blonde was working her way into Regina's cold heart and there was nothing she could do to stop it.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN- Hey! I'm going to try and update once a week/twice a fortnight but I cannot commit to a day every week as my school assignments are constant and I will never know when I'm going to be available to write but I will try my best for two chapters per fortnight :) .**

* * *

Emma sat on the couch in Dr Hopper's office and stared out of the window at the sky. The fluffy clouds and blue sky misleading towards the freezing temperature. The blonde cuddled her knees into her chest and wrapped her sweater covered arms around them.

" _How are you feeling today Emma?"_

" _fine"_ Emma mumbled wishing she was anywhere other than where she was.

" _If you tell me honestly how your feeling I may be able to take you off of one to one observations, do you think you can keep yourself safe?"_

Emma thought for a moment. She despised being on one to one but she didn't want to lie to her therapist. She liked Archie, he was friendly and had helped the other patients so she trusted him to a certain extent. Emma eventually shook her head slowly, avoiding eye contact with Archie.

" _That's ok Emma, don't feel bad about it. Thank you for being honest with me. We can reassess your observation levels next week ok?"_

Emma turned to look out of the glass pane in the door and saw Milah sitting on the other side.

" _If there is nothing else you want to talk about Emma your welcome to leave"_ Archie broke the silence.

" _can I stay here a little longer? I want to feel like I'm not being watched constantly for a few more minutes"_ Emma spoke quietly as if afraid of being kicked out.

" _Of course Emma"_ Archie moved to his desk and began to type up his notes from the session which he usually didn't do until the evenings but he wanted to allow Emma to feel like she had some privacy for a few moments.

5 minutes later Emma stood up, pulled her sweater sleeve over her hands and walked out of the room. " _How'd it go, Em?"_ Milah asked as she followed Emma back downstairs onto the main ward. " _It went okay"_ Emma called behind her without slowing down as she jogged down the stairs. She waited at the door at the bottom for Milah to punch in the code to let her through.

By the time they got back to the ward it was almost dinner time and the girls were excited for the dessert today; chocolate cake. The majority of the patients were sitting in the lounge watching Ruby and Belle playing sing star on the PlayStation. Emma walked up to the door and paused. The other patients wouldn't talk and enjoy themselves fully if there were staff in the room and Emma came as a package deal at the moment. She really wanted to join in the fun but knew the second she walked in the fun would stop so she turned around and walked towards the couches in the ward. The young girl sat down and pulled her knees towards her chest. Milah sat opposite her on the other couch and looked towards the forlorn teen.

" _what's wrong Emma?"_

" _nothing, I'm just tired"_ Emma lied

" _you slept for 9 and a half hours last night according to your observation sheet, you shouldn't be tired"_ Milah questioned

" _Maybe I'm just bored then"_ Emma didn't want to talk to Milah, she wanted to talk and laugh with the other in the lounge. She wanted to go for a walk under the skeleton trees with the crispy golden leaves under her feet. She wanted to carve a pumpkin for Halloween and hand out candy for the little kids. She didn't want to be in this hospital anymore.

" _Emma? You're crying sweetheart"_ Milah moved to stand up to comfort the blonde but Emma beat her to it.

" _It's nothing, I guess I just feel a little claustrophobic stuck in here all of the time"_ Emma walked into her room pretending Milah wasn't following her. She lay on her bed and faced the wall. Milah understood the teen needed some space so sat just inside of the doorway using her chair to prop the door open.

About 20 minutes later Ruby came running up to Emma's door calling her for dinner.

" _ok Rubes, give me a second to wash my hands and put a jacket on; it's freezing in the dining room"_ Emma rolled out of bed and jogged into her en suite bathroom. Milah moved to stand in the doorway as the young girl washed her hands. " _I can wash my hands without you watching, the sink isn't dangerous"_

" _I'm sorry Emma but you know the rules, where you go, I go."_

Emma sighed as she walked past the nurse out into the ward towards the dining room.

* * *

The other patients were already sitting around the table drinking coffees and juice waiting for their meals, tonight was spaghetti bolognese or mushroom risotto. Emma sat down next to Belle once she had gotten her cappuccino and started to listen to the girl's conversation about their memories of kindergarten. " _oh my goodness, do you remember those little juice boxes they would give you at snack time? They made your mouth so dry!"_ Ruby exclaimed to the group. Emma laughed " _I remember having animal crackers in my lunch box every day, they were the best"_ Eventually the food arrived the table became quieter as everyone ate. Emma finished her spaghetti and waited for the others. Talk quickly turned to the topic of the best types of cake as everyone awaited the chocolate cake.

* * *

After dinner bedtime came quickly as the patients all changed into pyjamas and brought pillows and blankets into the lounge for a horror movie evening. The night staff brought popcorn and sodas and they all sat together in the dark room.

" _come on you lot, time for bedtime"._ Marian told the group as she turned on the light.

" _uugggh_ " a simultaneous groan came from the group at the sudden brightness.

One by one the patients stood up and collected their belongings. A few of the girls hugged good night and separated to their rooms. Emma put her pillow and comforter back onto her bed and walked to the kitchen to grab a cup of water. Graham followed her closely holding a clipboard with Emma's observation sheet. As the blonde settled down in her bed the tattooed male wrote on the clipboard

" _what are you writing?"_ Emma inquired

" _Exactly what you are doing. We have to do it every five minutes for you"_

" _so what exactly am I doing right now?"_

" _well I wrote 'getting ready for bed'"_

" _that's boring, maybe tomorrow I will make sure I'm doing something exciting every 5 minutes so whoever is on my one to one doesn't get bored"_

Graham laughed.

" _Goodnight Emma"_ He spoke quietly as the blonde closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Emma loved being woken up by Regina, it was always so gentle and caring. This morning was no different.

" _Morning sweetie"_ Regina whispered as she sat on the edge of Emma's bed and ran her fingernails up and down the blonde's back.

" _Morning"_ Emma mumbled and wished she could go back to sleep.

" _Did you sleep well, dear?"_ Regina asked without stopping her ministrations on Emma's back.

" _Mmmhh"_ the teen wiggled closer to the brunette. Regina took that as a positive response and started to massage Emma's back. The two remained in relative silence for a few moments until Regina spoke " _you should get ready for breakfast_ "

" _I'm not hungry"_ Emma pleaded to stay in bed a little longer.

" _ok, well instead of breakfast would you like me to run you a bath before school?"_

" _that would be awesome"_ Emma hadn't had a bath in weeks, she used to love them when she was at home but since she has been here she has stuck to showers.

" _I will have to be in the room with you Emma"_

" _That's fine"_ Emma had gotten used to showering and using the toilet with a nurse in the room, having a bath with Regina in the room was no issue to her anymore.

" _can I trust you for 30 seconds whilst I run the bath?"_ Regina asked sternly

" _I can assure you I will not be moving from my comforter burrito until the bath is ready"_ this made the older woman laugh as she walked to the bathroom and turned the faucet on. She added Emma's favourite coconut bubble bath and made sure the temperature was good before she went to check on the blonde. Emma hadn't moved since the brunette left the room, she had actually fallen back to sleep. Regina giggled as she placed her hand on Emma's bare forearm and stroked her with her thumb. The scars were a faded pink and there weren't any newer wounds; Regina was extremely proud of the blonde. _"Emma sweetie, the bath will be ready in a moment"_ Regina tried to re-wake the teen. " _I'm awake; I just don't want to leave the warm"_ Emma joked with a cheeky smile. Regina moved to check on the bath and turned the faucets off. " _Bath's ready"_ she called into the bedroom. She could hear Emma grumbling as she rolled out of bed and chuckled to herself until she saw the blonde appear in the doorway. She was still burritoed in her duvet and looked like an adorable Eskimo. Regina couldn't hold back a hearty laugh at the young girl wrapped in a fluffy, white cover.

" _It's cold!"_ Emma explained with puppy dog eyes that melted the older woman's heart.

" _The bath water is nice and warm so pass me the comforter and get undressed"_

" _You're not going to ask me out to dinner first_ " Emma smirked as she started to unwrap the comforter from around her.

" _Well I did offer you breakfast"_ Regina continued the banter as she turned away slightly to allow Emma to change with some privacy.

" _oh yeah! well, maybe we can do lunch_?"

" _Lunch sounds good_ " Regina could see Emma through the corner of her eye, she was wearing pink silk shorts and a white lacy bra; she looked beautiful. Emma quickly undressed and climbed into the bath. She sat hugging her knees to her chest.

" _you could sit on the floor and we could talk if you wanted to_ ". Emma asked.

Regina nodded and sat with her back to the closed door next to and facing the same direction as the naked blonde.

" _is it the right temperature_?" Regina tried to start the conversation.

" _yes its lovely, thank you"_ Emma turned her head and rested it on her knees looking at the older woman.

" _you're very pretty, Regina"_ Emma spoke confidently. Regina didn't respond for a few moments; she knew it was completely inappropriate but that didn't stop the butterflies that had made a home in her stomach. She looked slowly towards Emma and smiled.

" _Thank you, dear"_

" _no_ _hay_ _problema_ " Emma smiled back as she continued to watch the brunette.

"¿ _tu hablas español?"_ Regina looked shocked that Emma could speak Spanish.

" _un poquito_ "

Regina and Emma looked at each other for what felt like an eternity.

" _Eres_ _sumamente hermosa"_ Regina whispered.

" _I don't understand"_ Emma replied with a furrowed brow.

"I said you are very beautiful Miss Swan"

Emma blushed a deep red and looked down at the bath water as she mouthed thank you to the nurse.

" _You're welcome"_ Regina knew she shouldn't have said it; it was against every rule in the nursing handbook but she couldn't stop herself. The young, sad looking teen brought out the best and the worst in her. The two sat quietly for a little longer, Emma splashing the warm water over her pale skin and Regina staring at the ground in front of where she was sitting.

" _Can you pass me my towel please"._ Emma asked when the water started feeling cold.

Regina stood up gracefully and held the towel up to wrap Emma in it. She looked to the side so the blonde could climb out of the bath. Emma stood up and walked into the towel so the older woman could wrap it around her. Regina hugged the towel around the young girl and rubbed up and down her arms to try and keep her warm. Emma eventually left and walked into the bedroom, towards her closet.

" _What should I wear?"_ Emma asked the always well-dressed woman.

" _Personally I think you look nice in your black jeans and the cream knitted jumper"_

" _well, then that is what I will wear"._ Emma said with a smile.

Regina sat on the edge of the bed and waited for Emma to get dressed. She could see the blonde's petite yet womanly figure in the corner of her vision. She truly was beautiful.

* * *

School only happened in the mornings; thank goodness. Emma didn't think she could survive much more of the teacher Eric droning on about radioactivity. She sat in the back corner of the room closest to the windows and watched as more and more of the leaves fell off of the trees. The schoolroom had the heaters on so it wasn't as cold as the ward area but everyone was still wearing fluffy socks and big jumpers. Regina was sitting next to Emma watching as she spun her pen around in her fingers; she was quite good at it. The nurse had another 3 minutes until she needed to write down the next observation for Emma and was wishing time would go faster. Suddenly she realised Emma was looking towards her. " _everything okay?"_ Regina mouthed. The blonde nodded in response and reached for a piece of paper from the middle of the table. She started writing something down and then folded the paper over to hide when she had written. Then she slowly slid the piece of paper towards Regina's hands whilst looking forwards as if nothing was happening. Regina noticed the paper and placed it behind the clipboard as she unfolded the top.

 **I am super bored**

 _As am I_

 **Can we escape?**

 _I'm sure they would notice us leaving the room, Miss Swan_

 **We could pretend it's an emergency, I could fake a panic attack?**

 _Please don't do that, I would have to write it in your notes and I really don't have the energy for that today_.

 **Any ideas?**

 _We could jump out of the window? sorry, that's a bad idea...You could say you wish to speak to August?_

 **Jumping out of the window sounds good… kidding :)  
**

 _My apologies, I forgot that with the present company such a dark joke may not be appreciated._

 **I appreciate it and you but we really do need to think of a plan I can feel my brain melting**

 _Thank you, I think. Ok, first you need to look upset. Then I will pretend to ask you what is wrong. Don't say anything. That will allow us to walk out of the room without questioning. Can you do that?_

 **You underestimate me**

Regina folded the paper and put it into the pocket of her suit trousers to throw away later and Emma look down at the table as if she was about to cry; Regina was impressed. " _Are you okay, Miss Swan"_ Emma didn't respond as fake tears fell down her cheeks. Ruby grabbed the blonde's arm " _Ems? What's wrong?"_

" _I'm fine"_ Emma was committed to this act.

" _Emma, if you need to leave you're welcome to"_ Eric called across the classroom when he noticed the crying girl.

Emma stood and left the room followed by Regina. They didn't speak until they were safely behind the closed door in Emma's bedroom.

" _That was impressive, dear"_

" _I took drama in school"_

" _I can tell, thank you for allowing us to escape. I really did feel myself losing brain cells in that room."_

" _No worries, now we can spend the morning together"_

Regina wasn't sure what Emma was implying so she just nodded and smiled carefully.

" _Do you want to watch a movie or something?"_ Emma asked as she removed her sweater in the warm room. Her tank top underneath rode up as she lifted the knitwear over her head. Regina saw a long shiny scar on the right side of her stomach reaching around to her walked over to help Emma with the sweater but couldn't help but run her finger gently along the length of the scar. Emma shivered and moved away pulling her tank down covering her abdomen.

" _Emma, what happened to you?"_ Regina asked quietly with concern flooding her facial features.

" _Nothing"_ Emma lied

" _Sweetheart, please don't lie to me. Who did this to you?"_ Regina placed her hands on Emma's shoulders and looked her in the eye.

" _my mother"_ Emma whispered as if this was the first time she had ever told anyone about this.

" _tell me about it"_

" _My mother drinks a lot, she always has. When I was around 11 or 12 I told her I wanted her to stop. She didn't take it well and threw the bottle of wine that was in her hand at me. The bottle smashed and some broken glass cut my side open. It scarred so badly because I didn't go to the hospital for treatment, my mother wouldn't take me and my dad was away with work for the week. I wrapped a bandage around my stomach and went to bed. It's fine, though. I'm fine now"_

Emma looked like she was going to cry but Regina had never seen her cry before so she didn't want her childhood sob story to be the reason she does. Regina pulled the blonde into a tight hug and Emma nestled into her neck; breathing in the smell of her expensive perfume. They stood like that for longer than any hug they had ever had before but it didn't feel uncomfortable. They felt entirely safe with each other.

* * *

 **AN - On the part where R and E are passing notes I had chosen specific fonts for them both and the joke about the window was crossed through however ff .net doesn't allow different fonts and lines through text so i had to switch to bold and italic... It is not what i wanted for that scene but it will have to do :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter, the next one should be up tomorrow evening - M & R xx**


	6. Chapter 6

12:30 came sooner than the two women had hoped. They had spent the morning watching Batman movies snuggled on Emma's bed with the blonde leaning into Regina's chest as she stroked her hair.

" _I've never watched these movies before, I enjoyed them. Thank you for sharing them with me Emma"_

Emma smiled and snuggled further into Regina's neck.

" _It's time for our lunch date, dear"_ Regina chuckled.

" _oh yeah, what did you order this morning_?"

" _a baked potato with cheese"_

 _"_ _so did I, we are so in sync"_ Emma giggled from the comfort of the brunette's chest before she sat up ready to go to lunch.

Both women felt the loss of the other but neither voiced it. Regina sat up and leant into the teens back.

" _let's go"_

" _ok dear"_

Emma put her sweater back on and her slippers and walked down to lunch with Regina.

* * *

Immediately as they walked into the dining room they were approached by a few of the other patients.

" _Emma! Are you feeling any better babe?"_ Belle asked as she pulled the blonde into a hug.

" _I'm fine honey"_ Emma replied hugging her back.

" _Ems! Come and sit with us, we can cheer you up!"_ Ruby called from the far end of the table.

" _Actually I'm going to sit with Regina for lunch today, we were… in the middle of talking before lunch so we wanted to continue the conversation_ " Emma lied unconvincingly but the girls seemed to buy it.

"O _k babe, come and sit with us when we get back up onto the ward? We can have a few games of rummy over some hot chocolates"_

" _Sounds good"_ Emma smiled and turned around to see Regina had made 2 drinks and was sitting at a separate table to the main one the patients and staff sat on. Robin and Graham were sitting at the main table looking confused as to why the women were sitting on their own, they planned to ask Regina about it afterwards but the brunette wasn't concerned; she already had the lie Emma used ready to tell them. Emma sat down opposite the nurse and picked up her cappuccino. Milk, 2 sugars; just the way she liked it. " _thank you"_ Emma said quietly as she sipped the slightly too hot beverage. Regina smiled back at her and sipped her own drink.

" _Tell me something about yourself"_ Emma spoke just above a whisper so the others couldn't hear them.

" _What do you want to know?"_ Regina didn't like talking about herself but felt comfortable around the young girl so decided to tell her about the one thing she had never told anyone (except her sister and therapist) about before. Before Emma could respond Regina spoke.

" _I was 17, I lived with my Mother and sister Zelena. My father passed away when I was 9. My mother was always at the hospital working and my sister was at university studying business management. I was dating a guy called Daniel. I loved him a lot. He had depression and I thought that if I loved him enough it would fix him, obviously I didn't have the knowledge I have now. Daniel and I spent a lot of time together at my house, he made me feel special and beautiful and loved. He was my entire world. Then his depression got worse and he stopped coming round every day, he hardly answered my texts and calls until one day I cycled to his house and let myself in with the spare key when no one answered the door…"_

Regina was thankful her back was to the rest of the room because her eyes were filling with tears and her hands were shaking. Emma was watching her and wanted nothing more than to reach over and hold her hand but she couldn't.

" _I found him. He had been dead for a few hours. His skin was ice cold. I screamed and called an ambulance; there was nothing they could do. He was gone and I didn't even get to say goodbye. It killed me and I've only just been able to talk about it; its been 8 years"_

Emma grabbed her hand for a few seconds and squeezed hard after checking no one was watching them. The encounter only lasted a second or two but it let Regina know everything that the blonde wanted to say/do.

When the food arrived the conversation stopped for a while but as they finished it started again. " _I'm sorry that happened to you, Regina"_

 _"_ _It's okay, dear"_

 _"I_ _t's your turn, ask anything you want"_ Emma smiled

" _I don't want to force you to tell me anything, why don't you tell me something you want me to know instead"_ Regina smiled back looking into emerald green eyes.

" _I was dating a girl about 2 years back, her name was Lily. I loved her. I thought she loved me. We were together for just over a year before she disappeared without explanation. Last I heard she was in Florida but I'm not sure. She broke my heart."_

Regina looked at the sad blonde with a comforting smile. " _I'm sorry Emma"_

 _"_ _It's okay, I realized I don't need her, I never did"_

 _"_ _You're right, you are surrounded by people who adore you"_

Emma wasn't sure if Regina was including herself in that but didn't want to ask, so she stood to get some water from the other side of the room.

" _Water?"_

 _"_ _No thank you"_ Regina watched Emma the entire way, always prepared to chase after her if she tried to run.

When Emma returned to the table there was a bowl of ice cream in the middle of the table.

 _"_ _I ordered vanilla because I wasn't sure what flavour was your favourite and, well, I like vanilla"_

 _"_ _vanilla is good; I will grab us some spoons"_ Emma jogged back to the table with the water cooler to pick up the cutlery.

 _"_ _having a good date with nurse Mills, Emma?"_ Kathryn asked loudly to draw the tables attention to herself.

" _Regina and I are merely eating lunch together today, there is nothing romantic about it, Kathryn"_ Emma spat back defensively, why was she feeling so protective over the older woman?

" _Whatever you say"_ Kathryn scoffed.

Emma slammed her hands onto the table and leant into Kathryn's face so their noses were almost touching _"Are we going to have a problem here?"_ Emma growled through gritted teeth. Neither girl broke the aggressive eye contact.

" _Miss Swan, that's enough"_ Regina had her arms on the blonde's hips pulling her away.

" _yeah that's right, go back to your girlfriend, Miss Swan"_ Emma lost it, she wiggled out of Regina's grip and launched herself across the table at Kathryn. The older blonde went flying with the younger one on top of her. Emma tried to punch Kathryn but before she could Regina had her restrained and Graham had Kathryn. The brunette woman dragged Emma back upstairs and into her bedroom within a few minutes.

" _Emma! Care to explain what that was about?"_ Regina asked sternly still holding on tightly to Emma's arms.

" _She is a bitch!"_ Emma was shaking because she was so angry.

" _language"_ Regina was worried about the blonde, she had never seen her this upset about anything before. She tried to try a different approach " _Emma darling, what is going on?"_ Emma almost instantly stopped shaking and looked up at Regina's chocolate brown eyes.

" _She… she called you my girlfriend"_ Emma looked at the ground as Regina let go of the teen's arms.

" _oh... why are you so upset about that?"_ Regina wasn't sure why Emma had reacted so emotionally to a silly comment.

" _she was trying to get you into trouble, Robin and Graham heard her"_

 _"_ _well they definitely saw you jump her dear"_

 _"_ _I don't want you to be in trouble"_ Emma spoke so quietly Regina almost didn't hear her voice break.

The nurse pulled Emma into a warm hug and stoked her hair as she always did.

" _Everything is going to be alright my sweet angel_ " Regina whispered into her ear trying to comfort the blonde until there was a knock on the door. Emma jumped backwards and sat on the edge of her bed, Regina knelt down where she was standing in front of the now sitting Emma to pretend as if they were talking like this.

" _come in"_ Regina called through the closed door. August walked in and looked sternly at Emma " _Care to explain your outburst at the dinner table?"_

 _"_ _She was making stuff up and it really pissed me off, I'm really sorry and I won't do it again"_ Emma tried to sound as honest as possible but she really wasn't sorry; the bitch deserved it.

" _the two of you need to stay away from each other from now on, I will tell Kathryn the same"_ August turned and left to speak to the other patient. Regina waited for the door to close and placed her hands on the blonde's knees and looked up into piercing green eyes.

" _my one to one shift finishes in 5 minutes, I believe you'll have Graham until night staff arrive but I will be around on the ward"_

Emma looked back into Regina's eyes and smiled slightly " _Can I have a hug before you have to go?"_ the blonde asked quietly.

" _of course my dear, you never need to ask for a hug"_ Regina sat next to the blonde on the bed and wrapped her arms around her. They stayed like this for a few minutes but not long enough for either of them.

" _I need to go dear"_ Regina spoke into the girl's golden hair before she placed a tiny kiss on the top of her head and pulled away.

" _Let's go and get Graham"_ Regina smiled and held out her hand for Emma who happily took it.

The two walked hand in hand to the doorway until Regina let go with a tight squeeze.

Emma didn't mind being on one to one with Graham, he always stood outside when she used the bathroom as long as the door was open and he was pretty good as rummy so she could play properly without letting anyone win. But he wasn't Regina.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Kathryn stayed in her room. Ruby and Belle watched cake boss reruns in the living room. Will was reading in his room. The rest of the patients were either in therapy or talking to nurses. Emma was losing her mind she was so bored. Eventually, she decided to have an early night and went to bed at around 7:30pm.

Regina sat in the office for a few hours pretending to write up Emma's notes for the day. She couldn't help thinking that the closer that she got to the young girl, the worse it was going to be when they eventually had to say goodbye. She had spent 3 years in university learning all about how to be an amazing nurse and it only takes a stunning 17-year-old to ruin everything she learnt. Boundaries are extremely important in nursing; Regina knows this well but when it comes the the golden haired teen everything she knows melts away. She knows she should be more careful, step away and allow the girl to recover and leave this place without a broken heart. Regina knew what she was doing was wrong; she couldn't help it. Her feelings for Emma were growing by the day and the idea of having to say goodbye already made her want to cry.

" _Everything okay Regina?"_ August asked

" _Yes, how are you?"_ Regina responded instantly

" _I am fine, I am a little concerned about Emma Swan"_

 _"_ _Why? What's wrong with her?_ " Regina couldn't hide her worry

" _I am concerned that the two of you are too close"_ August was speaking extremely seriously, it scared Regina a little.

" _Well I can assure you there is nothing to be concerned about, Emma is a patient and I am as close to her as I am to the other patients. Emma has a difficult time bonding with people due to her difficult upbringing so if spending a little extra time with her helps her, so be it. I do not appreciate being accused of something when I am merely doing my job August. Now I have notes to write"_ Regina was defensive and it didn't go unnoticed by the ward manager. August planned to watch the two more closely in the future, he truly was worried.

After sitting in silence for about 15 minutes after August left Regina had come to a conclusion. Being around the beautiful blonde was dangerous, not only for Emma but for her too. She needs to back off from Emma, for both of their sakes.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN- you guys truly are amazing! The reviews are motivating me to update more regularly so keep leaving them! I am not sure whether to write more about the hospital so you guys have a better idea of what it is like or to just keep it as I am doing (which is only covering about 10% of what it is really like) I truly do want it to be as realistic as possible but if I make it too realistic Regina would be out of a job and in prison (oops)**

 **Please let me know what you think, I'm open to opinions so if you have any ideas for where you want the story to go hmu!**

 **Small paragraph mentioning sensitive subjects around sexual abuse with a secondary character. Underlined as usual.**

 **I love you all – M &R  
**

Emma was woken up by Robin on this cold morning, he wasn't as gentle as Regina. " _Morning Emma, you coming to breakfast this morning_?"

" _yes, how long do I have?"_

 _"_ _about half an hour"_

Emma slowly rolls out of bed and shuffles over to the window and looked out over the hospital grounds. The trees were completely bare, the ground covered in different shades of golden brown leaves and a fine mist hindering the blonde from seeing further than the grounds. It was like the hospital and its patients were the only things in the world. Emma got dressed into some dark blue jeans with rips at the knees with a baggy hoodie and pulled her hair into a messy bun. She didn't care that Robin watched her change, she had lost all dignity in this place. She walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and instantly saw a piece of paper on the floor by the doorway. She knelt down to read it. Emma smiled as she saw it was the paper she used to write notes to Regina in the school room the day before. It must have fallen out of the brunette's pocket when she was sitting on the floor. Emma was about to rip it up and put it into the bin in her room when she noticed the additional writing at the bottom that wasn't there before.

Emma,

The next few weeks are going to be tough for the both of us, I want to apologise in advance however I do not want you to think for a second that I hate you, I could never hate you. You may begin to hate me and that's okay. Just never forget how amazing you are and know that I believe in you.

\- R

" _What's that Emma?"_ Robin inquired as he saw the blonde reading the paper.

" _Nothing"_ Emma replied way too quickly to be telling the truth but Robin let it go after seeing it was only paper and nothing that could cause her harm.

Emma was confused, what's going to be tough? Why does it feel like she is saying goodbye and why does her chest hurt so much? The teen ripped up the paper and threw it into the toilet and flushed it away. She couldn't risk it getting into the wrong hands. It could cost Regina her career. Robin looked at the teen with a furrowed brow, what had she just flushed?

Regina was working the afternoon shift today so she would see her at lunch, only 4 hours to go.

Breakfast was quiet this morning, only the sound of the radio could be heard. The room felt tense, something was brewing and everyone could feel it. Emma drank her cappuccino in silence looking out of the frosted window at the pond; the ducks looked cold. Will was eating his meals faster and faster these days, Emma was proud of him but knew this meant he was closer to leaving. She had really grown to like the young man. Belle and Anna were sitting next to the blonde, neither communicating in any way. Peter was sitting next to Will sipping a mocha and eating some peanut butter on toast. The other patients didn't often come down for breakfast, especially on a Saturday when they preferred to have a lie in until the late morning. The blonde finished her drink and left the others at the table to go back up onto the ward followed by Robin. Ella was sitting on one of the couches solving a Rubik's cube; well trying to.

" _Morning Ella"_

 _"_ _Morning, hey do you know how to solve one of these?"_

 _"_ _I do actually, would you like me to do it or teach you?"_

 _"_ _you would teach me how to do it?"_

 _"_ _of course"_ Emma smiled at the younger girl, she must be only around 14 years old. Ella always wore long sleeves just like Emma did. She sat down next to the other patient and held her hand out for the cube. They must have sat for about 20 minutes as Emma slowly taught Ella how to solve the seemingly impossible puzzle.

 _"_ _thank you Emma"_ she spoke as she looked at the solved cube in awe.

 _"_ _not a problem sweetie, what are your plans for the rest of the day?"_

 _"_ _I was thinking about maybe having a girly day: face masks, nail painting, chick flicks. Would you maybe want to join me?"_

 _"_ _I would love to!"_ Emma had never really spent much time with the girl, and never alone. She wanted to learn more about her; bond maybe.

 _"_ _Robin?"_

 _"_ _yes Emma"_

 _"_ _if Ella and I were to sit in the lounge and watch a movie would you be able to sit outside of the room and watch me through the window? That way we can talk about girly things"_ that last part persuaded Robin.

 _"_ _as long as I can see your hands at all times through the window, that will be fine"_ Robin answered; happy to miss out on 'girly chat'.

The two blondes decided to watch a movie first and chose bridesmaids as neither had watched it before.

" _I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you here?"_ Ella asked quietly as the movie started.

" _umm, depression I think. I haven't been given a proper diagnosis yet. What about you?"_ Emma felt uncomfortable but knew to get to know people she had to open up as well.

" _I have PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. I was… umm."_

 _"_ _You don't have to tell me what happened babe"_

 _"_ _I want to, it helps to talk about it and I trust you"_ Emma smiled, being trusted meant friendship and friends were something Emma loved making.

" _ok, well you can tell me anything, but don't feel like you have to tell me now. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon"_ the blonde jokes which made Ella laugh.

" _I was raped by my boyfriend. I ended up pregnant and I lost the baby. I started having flashbacks and nightmares and I couldn't take it anymore. That's why I am here"_ Ella spoke really fast and without emotion as if she was talking about someone else. Emma guessed it was easier to talk about if you pretended it didn't happen to you.

" _Shit. I am sorry, sweetie. That is horrific and you're so young"_ Emma looked into the young blonde's sad eyes.

 _"_ _it's ok, he is in prison now and I'm here getting better"_ Ella spoke so positively it filled Emma with hope. If this 14-year-old could get over such a horrible trauma, maybe Emma could get over her issues.

The girls ended up talking about their lives, experiences and plans for the future for hours but soon enough the call for lunch came through the door.

" _let's go Emsie"_ Ella smiled as she held her hand out of Emma to talk and the two walked hand in hand down to the dining room. Emma felt connected to this girl, she finally had someone she could call a real friend. This girl knew her deepest secrets and still wanted to be around her. The patients here didn't judge her for how she felt or looked. She knew she would stay in touch with the girls here for the rest of her life.

As the two girls (and Robin) walked into the dining room they realised they were the first to arrive. Ella and Robin sat down and poured themselves some water from the jugs on the table. Emma went to get her cappuccino from the hot drinks dispenser in the next room, Robin didn't follow her as he was meant to. He trusted her enough to come back which made Emma smile.

The blonde suddenly remembered that Regina would be arriving any second and as her drink finished pouring she replaced the cup and pressed the button for another. She added milk and 2 sugars to hers but only milk to the other; just as Regina liked it. Then she carried both drinks into the dining room and sat down placing the brunettes in front of her keeping hers in her hand. Within a minute or so the rest of the patients filtered down the stairs and took their seats at the large table followed closely by Regina and Marian. When Regina saw Emma with the two hot drinks cups she had to remember that she couldn't act the way she usually did; the way she wanted to.

" _Two drinks Emma? That's a lot of caffeine!"_ Regina joked looking the blonde in the eyes hoping she read the note and wordlessly begging her to play along.

" _I made you one to pay you back for the one you made me the other day"_ Emma understood what Regina was doing and realised they needed to act like making the other a drink wasn't a daily thing.

" _I wasn't sure how you liked it so I added some milk but if you take sugar I can run and get some for you?"_ Emma added fully understanding what the nurse was trying to say, she was really hoping it helped the situation.

Regina smiled, the blonde was so smart.

" _No sugar, that's perfect. Thank you Miss Swan"_ She replied with a careful smile sitting down opposite the blonde and began to sip the hot drink. She knew she should be keeping a bigger distance but their little scene should allow them to sit near each other even if it is just for this meal. She could sit further away at dinner but for now, she just wanted to look at the beautiful young girl.

Emma and Ella chatted constantly the entire meal, the older blonde knew now what the note from Regina had meant. She knew they needed to hide their closeness for a while. The incident with Kathryn must have caused some issues and they needed to stay away from each other for a while. Regina watched Emma looking up through her eyelashes as she slowly ate her chicken salad. The teenager made her heart soar, she even looked stunning whilst stuffing a burger into her mouth with ketchup running down her chin. Regina would give anything to be able to lick the ketchup off. Wait. What was she thinking? Her connection with the blonde was purely platonic. Wasn't it? Shit. How could she be thinking such sexual thoughts about a minor? She is 25, Emma is 17. It's illegal and wrong. Regina suddenly stood up and walked swiftly back up onto the ward as a concerned Emma watched her leave.

Regina walked straight into the office when she arrived back onto the ward. The white walls of the ward reminding her of the hours she spent as a young girl in the hospital with her mother. As she sat down at her desk she unlocked her computer and checked her shifts for the rest of the week. She wasn't working the next day. She logged out and leant back in the leather chair, what was happening to her. Her heart raced whenever she thought of the blonde, she was in her dreams (and her nightmares). She was in too deep already.

About 15 minutes later Emma, Ella and Robin jogged up the stairs and back onto the ward.

" _I'm gonna have a shower, Robin. Are you ok to supervise?"_ Emma asked her one to one knowing that some male nurses preferred not to supervise female patients in the bathroom.

" _would you prefer if I got a female nurse to switch for a little while?"_ Robin asked sincerely.

Emma knew that there were two female nurses on today's shift and she didn't mind Robin supervising her but there was a 50% chance it could be Regina.

" _Yes please!"_ Emma replied with a smile. Robin would always go out of his way to make the patients comfortable but always put in the extra mile for Emma as she was his only key patient.

Robin and Emma walked over to the office " _Regina? Can you supervise Emma whilst she has a shower please?"_

Regina was shocked that she was asked, she was sure she wouldn't be placed on the blondes one to one for the foreseeable future.

" _Of course Rob"_ She decided that once August told the rest of the staff about his concerns that this wouldn't be happening anymore so she might as well spend as much time as she could with the teen before that happened.

Regina stood up and was handed the observation sheet for the blonde.

" _Let's go Miss Swan"_ Regina's voice was monotone, trying to hide the fact she was excited to be able to talk to Emma alone for a little while.

The two walked into her room and Emma turned to look at the older woman. " _hey"_ she breathed out with a wide toothy smile.

" _hey yourself"_ Regina replied smiling back.

" _you are very smart my dear"_ she added.

" _Thanks, but what did I do?"_ Emma giggled taking a step towards the nurse.

" _You understood what I was doing at lunch and played along instantly. I don't know anyone who would have caught on so quickly"_ Regina looked up into green eyes.

" _That's not because I am intelligent, it's because I can read you like a book"_ Emma repeated what the older woman had said on the day they first met which made the woman smile.

" _what happened?"_ Emma asked and Regina immediately knew what she was talking about.

" _August, he thinks I'm spending too much time with you. He is concerned that we are too close."_ Regina looked down to the ground. She looked worried and upset at the same time.

" _Everything is going to be alright my sweet angel"_ Emma whispered as she wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and nestled her head into her neck just like the brunette had done to her just a few days before. The other woman automatically hugged her in tightly and rested her cheek on the top of her golden hair.

" _Are you actually going to get into the shower?"_ Regina broke the silence after a few minutes.

" _Nope, I think if I just turn the shower on, we could sit on the bathroom floor and chat without anyone hearing us or know that we are talking"_ Emma proposed.

" _See you are smart my dear"_ Regina said proudly as she continued to hold the teenager against her body.

* * *

The two of them entered the bathroom and closed the door. Regina had a key so she locked the door to avoid any unwanted visitors. Emma turned the shower on and they sat on the floor leaning against the side of the bath. Regina folded her legs underneath her as Emma pulled hers up against her chest.

" _How are you feeling about it all?"_ Regina asked looking straight ahead.

" _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _about what August said? About us?"_ she said quietly

" _umm, I don't really know. What do you think?"_

 _"_ _I… Well I care about you Emma, but how close we are breaks pretty much every nursing rule that exists. I shouldn't care about you as much as I do"_

Emma didn't respond verbally, she just grabbed Regina's arm and pulled it around her shoulders. " _I care about you too; I don't want you to stay away from me. I always feel safe when I am with you"_ the blonde whispered as she laid her head on the nurse's shoulder and Regina instantly laid her head on top.

" _I feel the same sweetheart; I feel the same"_ She whispered into soft golden locks.

The two sat in that position for 30 minutes talking next to the falling water in the bathtub. They learnt a lot about each other and themselves. Regina knew it was going to take everything in her to back away from this beautiful girl but she also knew she had to otherwise she would never see her again.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma didn't sleep well that night. She woke up every 30 minutes until at around 6:45am she decided to give up and jump in the shower. Marian sat in the doorway of the bathroom tapping her pen onto the clipboard. Her shift ended any minute now and she couldn't wait to go home. As Emma lathered up coconut suds into her golden hair Marian shouted over the noise of the shower ' _I'm going now hun, I will see you tomorrow evening"_

 _"ok, see you tomorrow Marian"_

Emma wasn't sure who had replaced Marian on her one to one but didn't particularly care. She finished her shower and reached behind the curtain for her towel. To her surprise, it was handed to her before she could reach the rack.

"umm… _Thanks"_ Emma called to the mysterious staff member as she wrapped the towel around her.

 _"you're very welcome_ " a familiar, sexy voice responded.

Emma pulled the shower curtain to the side and smiled as she saw the beautiful nurse she had grown to adore.

" _I had expected you to be asleep at this time dear, everything okay?"_ Regina asked visibly showing her concern.

" _I couldn't sleep last night so I just decided to get up at like half 6 or something"_ Emma replied towel drying her hair.

" _I see, how are you feeling this morning? Other that tired"_

 _"I feel good. Better now you're here of course"_ Emma paused her drying and looked up through her water coated blonde eyelashes

" _you're flirting again Miss Swan"_ Regina bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling. This was wrong. However, before she could say anything they were interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door.

" _Come in"_ Emma called through the closed door as she poked her head out of the bathroom doorway. August pushed the door open, followed by Graham.

" _Graham is going to be on your one to one."_ The ward manager said sternly.

 _"Regina is on my one to one"_

 _"not anymore she isn't"_

Regina straightened her dress out and walked out of the bathroom.

" _Is there a problem Mr Booth?"_ Regina spoke with a sophistication Emma had only heard a handful of times before from the woman; never to herself.

" _not at all Miss Mills, I just wish to speak to you in the office for a moment please"_ August replied as if debating a business deal.

Emma was extremely uncomfortable standing in the middle of this; solely in a towel.

" _Well hurry up and go, I want to get dressed!"_ She tried to lessen the tension in the room, unsuccessfully.

August and Regina left the room and Emma walked over to the closet. She knew that this wasn't good; not good at all.

" _What should I wear Graham?"_

" _I don't know, clothes?"_

" _ha-ha, you're hilarious"_ Emma replied monotone.

She was seriously worried about what was happening to Regina right now.

In the office, Regina was listening to August lecture her on professional boundaries.

" _It is completely inappropriate Miss Mills, I will be informing the board and you will be watched closely for the foreseeable future. You must not be alone with Emma Swan. I don't even want you to speak to her; if you do there will be serious consequences"_ August was borderline shouting as he maintained eye contact with the brunette.

" _This is outrageous"_ Regina growled back. " _you have absolutely no proof that my relationship with Miss Swan is anything but professional"_

 _"There have been many comments from patients and staff suggesting exactly that, you will stay away from Emma until matters have been resolved"_

 _"You mean until she has been discharged"_ Regina spoke quietly and August sat down at his computer and started typing.

This was going to be impossible…

Emma was wearing black leggings and her father's Jets hoodie when she walked down the stairs for breakfast. Regina was sitting at the head of the table with her drink in front of her. Emma knew she had most likely been told to stay away and she was happy to make that easier for her. She walked past avoiding eye contact to get her cappuccino. She sat at the other end of the table and involved herself in conversation with Ella, Belle and Ruby. Seeing Regina at the end of the table with Will; sitting in silence, was heart-breaking. All Emma wanted was to wrap her arms around the brunette and make her smile again. She loved her smile.

Breakfast went slower than usual, the two women glancing at each other occasionally. Regina found Emma watching her on multiple occasions and it took everything in her to not look back. She kept her eyes on the warm drink in front of her focusing on her breathing. Inhale. Exhale. All she could think about was the young girl with the golden hair. Why couldn't she get her out of her mind?

Once everyone was back onto the ward the patients all gathered their books for school. Regina and Graham were asked to take the group down to the bright yellow room on the ground floor. The school room was a large square with pictures and stickers covering the walls. It was a welcome change from the white walls of the rest of the hospital. The patients all took their seats and began whatever work their schools back home had sent them. Regina sat behind Eric's desk after he opted to pull up a chair next to Ruby who was struggling with her math work. Emma sat on the back row of tables and chewed on the end of her pen as she watched Regina filling in her observation sheets for the group. Regina knew the blonde was watching her but forced herself to ignore her. She couldn't be seen communicating in any way with the teen, if it got back to August she would lose her job.

About half an hour later Emma was losing her mind with boredom. She sighed loudly and everyone turned to look towards the direction of the noise; including Regina. " _sorry"_ Emma mumbled as she looked down at her desk. Her school had sent her English work to do but she had no intentions of doing it. Regina took the time to watch Emma doodling on the corner of her English book. 'Even the top of her head is perfect' she caught her mind straying towards illegal territory yet again as she massaged her temples as if it would help. She glanced over to the blonde again and saw green eyes looking straight back at her. "breathe" pink lips mouthed. Regina realised she was holding her breath and released it slowly; maintaining eye contact with Emma. The teen smiled and Regina could see everything she couldn't say in the girl's eyes. During her time staring at the table, Emma had come up with a plan; it was dangerous and could make things work but there was a chance it could help her favourite nurse so she had to try. She gave a quick glance at Regina trying to tell her it was going to be ok and praying she would play along.

" _STOP STARING AT ME_ " Emma shouted behind her to Graham who had been standing behind her the entire time. The entire room jumped.

" _what?"_ The tattooed male questioned as he was abruptly pulled out of his day-dream.

Emma stood up quickly and turned to face him, her proximity to the man was a lot closer than she had thought it was so she kicked the table towards the front of the classroom aggressively and took a step back.

" _I said stop staring at me_ " the blonde growled.

Regina had stood up by this point and was ready to grab Emma if she needed to.

" _I am so fucking fed up of this place!_ " The teen said as she turned and ran towards the door, jumping over the front row of tables. She had no intentions of leaving, she knew Regina would grab her. And she did. The brunette woman launched herself at Emma and tackled her to the ground. Emma's plan was working and she was over the moon. This next bit was the hardest.

" _play along"_ the blonde whispered into Regina's ear as she pretended to try and wiggle out of her grip. Regina released the breath she knew she was holding this time and smiled internally. Emma was ok, but what the fuck was she doing?

" _ready?_ " Emma whispered and Regina squeezed her arm gently as if to say 'you don't need to do this'.

Graham has pushed the emergency alarm and the noise was deafening. Emma had about 15 seconds before she was restrained out of the room. She shoved her leg upwards to make it look like she had kneed the older woman in the stomach. Regina pretended to wince and moved to grab the blonde's arms when Emma flipped them both so she was straddling her. The brunette's breath hitched. This was something that shouldn't be turning her on as much as it was. Emma placed both of her hands around the brunette's neck and tensed her biceps. It looked extremely realistic to everyone else but to Regina, she could just feel the cool skin of Emma's hands cupping her neck. She looked up the blonde's face and saw something she had never seen before; full, uncensored anger. But something flashed across her face and Regina thought it could be love? Everything moved in slow motion. An army of nurses sprinted into the classroom. Graham and another man Emma hadn't seen before pulled her off of the brunette. Regina acted as if she had just been strangled and started to hyperventilate as she was lifted to her feet. This was going to be a difficult situation to get the blonde out of.

Emma was pulled straight into Dr Whale's office and lifted onto the bed as she kicked and screamed for effect. The blonde doctor pulled her leggings down just below her bum cheek and stabbed her with a needle. "OW!" the blonde shouted and tried to get out of the grip of 3 strong men. Her fight began to feel weaker, her muscles falling asleep one by one until her eyes drifted closed.

Regina was marched straight to Dr Gold's office, the hospital manager. Nobody was allowed to speak to Dr Gold unless it was an emergency and Regina instantly knew what Emma was doing.

" _hello deary, please take a seat"_ Gold always spoke as if he knew your biggest secret; he probably did but Regina really hoped he didn't. She sat down in the standard, comfortable red chair that could be found in almost every room in the building.

" _I heard that Emma Swan has attacked you? can you tell me your version of events please?"_ He wasn't asking.

" _Emma has had a difficult time this week, she was accused of something that she didn't do which angers her greatly and she has been on one to one observations for almost three weeks. She is an extremely independent young girl and needs her space. I believe she was feeling claustrophobic this morning which would explain the turn of events"_ Regina spoke in her business voice that Emma loved.

" _I am yet to hear these turn of events"_ Gold was not happy that he had to ask twice.

" _We were in the classroom, Graham was on Emma's observations and was standing behind her. She felt like he was staring at her and said so. She stood up and started to run towards the door. I restrained her as we are trained to do and she tried to get free. I am uninjured"_

" _I was told by multiple eye witnesses that she was attempting to strangle you? is this true?"_ he spoke as a statement. He knew it was true.

" _Well yes, she did have her hands around my neck but I am absolutely fine. I believe it was a defence mechanism, I don't think she meant to hurt me, or anyone for that matter. I think it was impulsive, I know it was impulsive"_ she corrected.

Gold nodded slowly and smiled a fake smile.

" _I assume you do not want to press charges?"_

 _"and why do you assume that?"_

 _"the nature of your recent relationship with Miss Swan. The rumours haven't escaped me, deary"_

 _"well, the rumours are completely incorrect, Dr Gold. I am not sure to the extent they have reached but I can assure you that the relationship between Emma Swan and I is nothing by professional and it would do you well to explain that to the other nurses on the ward"_ Regina growled. Dr Gold was currently dating Regina's mother and knew that the nurse had her around her little finger. One comment from Regina would have the relationship ending in minutes.

" _Very well, Miss Mills. Send your mother my love, the three of us should go to dinner sometime this week."_ The older man spoke flatly.

 _"that sounds lovely, make arrangements with mother and let me know"_ Regina smiled her best fake smile and stood up. She smoothed her pantsuit down and walked out of the door.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I hope you are all enjoying the story! Keep leaving reviews, it makes me super happy!**

 **Something I was thinking about for a while was the fact that as none of you had been to the same hospital as me you may have trouble imagining what it looks like sooooo I made it on the sims 4! I have uploaded screenshots onto my tumblr so if you want to check it out its at mmmills77. tumblr. com . If you want me to upload it to the gallery let me know :)**

 **Anyway, this is just a short scene so I could tell you guys about that so enjoy! - M &R**

* * *

Emma woke up in a different place to where she went to sleep. It was quite disorienting, mixed with the left over valium in her bloodstream, she felt entirely drained. " _mmmhhh_ " the sleepy blonde groaned and she tried to stretch out her legs and found something blocking the lower half of her bed.

" _Emma?"_ A calming voice accompanied by a warm hand on her bicep brought the teen out of her daze. " _sweetheart, how are you feeling?"_

" _what happened?"_ Emma ignored Regina's question as she wiggled closer to the warm body sitting on the side of her bed.

This evading technique didn't slip past Regina and she planned to ask again until " _did I hurt you?"_ the patient said meekly.

" _no! not at all dear"_

" _are you sure? Are you okay? Wait. You're on my one to one?"_

 _"yes I am sure, yes I am okay, and yes I am on your one to one"_ Regina smiled at the girl's obvious concern showing.

"what time is it? _how long have I been asleep?"_ Emma asked confused.

" _It's been about…"_ Regina checked her watch " _6 hours_ "

" _6 hours!"_ Emma tried to get out of bed and Regina quickly pinned her shoulders down into the bed.

" _don't try and move. The medication is still in your system; you could pass out"_

 _"ok. Okay! Chill Reggie"_ Emma said with a smirk when the older woman slowly released her death grip.

" _If you ever call me that again you will regret it,"_ she responded sternly folding her arms elegantly in front of her chest. Her arms were pushing her cleavage up and Emma couldn't help but stare.

" _what are you going to do? Punish me?"_ Emma said with a smirk, she didn't mean for it to sound so seductive.

Regina's face flashed with so many emotions the young girl couldn't decipher what she was feeling. Suddenly without warning Regina jumped onto Emma and straddled her pyjama bottom covered legs similar to the way Emma had only 6 hours earlier… just without the asphyxiation.

They stayed there for a few minutes, just staring at each other with faces full of fake anger and lust. Finally, Emma pushed herself up on her elbows until their faces were mere centimetres away from each other. If anyone walked into Emma's room right now it would be game over for both of them but neither moved an inch. Eventually, Emma started giggling at the entire situation.

" _what's funny dear?"_ Regina asked suddenly extremely self-conscious as she sat up straighter adding more space between the two.

" _you're adorable even when you scowl"_ The blonde offered as an explanation which seemed to calm the nurse slightly.

She tried her hardest to try and make herself look scarier but it only made the blonde burst into laughter which made Regina laugh too. Emma's laugh was infectiously cute.

After a few moments too long the pair calmed down and Regina relaxed into the girl's pelvis.

" _what happened Regina?"_

 _"how much do you remember?"_

 _"going to class, then I woke up here"_

 _"Right. Well, we weren't allowed to be around each other so you came up with a plan. You started shouting at Graham and ran to the door, I restrained you to the ground. You told me to play along and straddled me, similar to what I am doing now and then you put your hands around my neck. Like this"_ Regina replicated what Emma had done making sure not to hurt her.

" _what happened next?"_ Emma tried to make it seem like she didn't enjoy Regina's cool fingertips around her neck; Regina heard her voice crack and moved her hands with a smirk.

" _You were removed from the room and injected with valium thanks to Dr Whale who didn't even try to let you calm down on your own. That man got an earful don't you worry about that. I was pulled into Dr Gold's office which I assume was your plan all along?"_

Emma smiled, she remembered everything that happened, she just wanted to see if Regina could work out her plan and she had.

" _Dr Gold is dating your mother. I heard her talking about it when I was at the hospital before you arrived. She speaks highly of you, she is very proud of you, you know. And she loves you very much."_

Regina was taken aback, her mother hardly shares emotions with her and she assumed she wouldn't share them with anyone after her husband had died.

" _who was she telling?"_

 _"I think it was another doctor, the curtain was closed so I didn't see who it was, sorry."_

 _"no, don't apologise! Thank you for telling me, it's lovely to hear"_ The nurse was beaming.

" _Your smile is beautiful"_ Emma whispered as she ran her hands up and down Regina's thighs. The older woman shivered and slowly moved her hand to stroke the blonde's pink lower lip with her thumb.

Emma leant up on her elbows and licked her lips, the tip of her tongue touching Regina's thumb ever so slightly. Regina leant into Emma, pushing her onto her back once again but hovering her body above the teens; almost touching but not. The blonde leant up slowly to kiss the brunette but Regina turned her head and whispered through golden tresses _"not yet"._ The two lay, bodies not touching, breathing heavily for a minute or so until Emma broke the silence.

" _wait. I'm in my pyjamas. Who changed me?"_

Regina sat up and moved to sit on the chair next to the bed.

 _"that would be me, my dear"_

 _"that's awkward"_ Emma mumbled embarrassed.

" _not at all, I have changed patients many times before"_

 _"oh, I'm just a patient now?"_ Emma faked offence.

" _You know you're not just a patient to me Emma, I'm just saying you have no reason to be embarrassed. You have a gorgeous figure"_ she whispered so quietly Emma wasn't sure she had heard correctly.

" _thank you, you aren't too bad yourself"_ the blonde joked with a flirtatious wink.

Regina swallowed loudly and smiled. This girl was going to be the death of her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Merry Christmas! I have had this chapter written for a while but decided to wait for today so it's kind of like a gift... Anyway, the next chapter will hopefully be up in less than a week. Enjoy your holidays and enjoy this chapter! - M &R **

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 ** _Vine = shipedits  
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 ** _Twitter = shipedits__**

* * *

When Regina woke up she felt wonderful. She had dreamt of her favourite blonde patient all night just like she has for the past 3 months. She knew she shouldn't feel like this towards someone who is not only a patient of hers but is also vulnerable and a minor. But she couldn't help it, she couldn't change or stop her feelings and she definitely had no control over her dreams about Emma. They were becoming more and more sexual every night. That night's dream was particularly vivid.  
Regina rolled her legs off the bed and slowly stood up. She walked over to her window and looked out over the frost covered skeleton trees in the vast area of her garden. She had fallen asleep with her underwear and a loose fitting t-shirt on which was unusual for the woman who slept naked most of the time. Regina moved into her en-suite bathroom and sat on the toilet. She rubbed her eyes with her fingertips trying to get rid of the feeling of a layer of film over her retinas and reached for the toilet paper with her eyes still closed. As she opened her eyes she realised there was a damp circle in the middle of her cream silk and black lace underwear and it was that moment she truly felt how turned on she was from that dream. The brunette shivered as the contact of the toilet paper sent tingles up her spine and down her legs. She flushed the toilet and decided a cold shower would probably do her the world of good as she was going into work and going to see the teen that managed to give her wet dreams like a pubescent teen boy. "How has it got to this?" she mumbled as she picked up a fluffy white towel and a smaller white hair towel from the airing cupboard in the corridor and walked back through her bedroom into the bathroom.

Regina Mills had never been able to have a cold shower and today wasn't going to be the day she started but she assumed a slightly cooler shower that her normal boiling hot water would have the same effect… right?

Wrong.

The warm trickling of water down her olive skin was just making her more and more uncomfortably turned on. She tried to think of anything other than Emma, even thinking about her mother didn't work. The blonde kept working her way back into the forefront of her thoughts. She filled the palm of her hand with apple scented shampoo and massaged it slowly into her scalp. This process was never usually felt so sensual but she dropped her head back and closed her eyes as she imagined the younger girl's fingers in place of her own. As the water rinsed the suds out of her almost black hair she continued to massage her scalp and down onto her shoulders and chest. Her breathing rate increasing by the minute she inched her hands down over her prominent collar bones and reached her breasts. Her head dropped back again behind the stream of water so it was now falling directly down her chest and abdomen. She gently rubbed her palms over her nipples as they swiftly hardened into peaks. She didn't know what she was doing but she couldn't stop thinking about Emma as she lowered her hands to where she desperately needed them. Her fingertips ran down her stomach making her wiggle, she was slightly ticklish. After a few minutes of teasing herself she couldn't hold back any longer and her hands dipped between her legs. The moisture she found there had nothing to do with the shower. She ran her middle finger through the wetness and her need doubled. She was done teasing herself so slowly pushed her finger inside her. The feeling was warm and wonderful. She started to push and pull slowly, speeding up as the warmth in her lower stomach spread to her entire body. She could feel her impending orgasm but what she was doing wasn't enough. She simultaneously added a second finger and placed her thumb over her clit so it rubbed against it with every thrust. She felt her knees turning to jelly and turned her body around underneath the stream of the shower so it was falling down her back. She placed her free hand onto the tile of the wall to try and steady herself. Her muscles started tensing and she let out a breathy moan as she rested her forehead on the wall in front of her. She sped up her ministrations and as she felt closer and closer to her release she started to curl her fingers and roughly massaged the one spot that made her whole body go weak. She kept her forehead on the cool tile, her dark hair falling straight down her back. Her mind picturing one thing, well person. Emma Swan… naked, straddling her. Her beautiful blond hair curling over her shoulders slightly covering her milky white breasts. Their skin contrasting the other perfectly. The warm, wetness transferring from Emma's core to Regina's lower stomach. Her cool hands reaching forward to place them over the curve of the nurse's neck, leaning downwards to crush their lips together. Regina flipped them over not breaking the mind-blowing kiss. She placed kisses down her jaw and neck moving past her breasts taking the time to kiss and lick each pale pink nipple for a few moments resulting in a delectable moan from the girl. The blonde moved her hands into dark apple scented tresses stopping her from pulling away, not that she had any intention of doing so. She kissed down Emma's toned stomach, dipping her tongue into her belly button causing the blonde's breath to hitch audibly. Eventually, Regina reached the part of Emma she was aiming for. The neatly shaved, delicious part of her that all the brunette wanted to do was bury her face in. As she parted the blonde's knees with one hand she was brought back to reality with a bang as her climax made her knees buckle underneath her. She caught herself on the edge of the bathtub with her free hand, still continuing her thrusts as she rode through her orgasm. It wasn't until a few minutes later she realised she had screamed the teenager's name as she came; she felt disgusted with herself. Slowly, the guilt increased until she was sitting on the edge of the tub, the now freezing cold water running onto her legs as she ran her fingers through her hair and calmed her breathing to a normal rate. This couldn't happen again and she had to distance herself from Emma before things got too serious.

Suddenly she remembered that she was going to be late for work. Shit.

Regina clambered out of the bathtub, turning the shower off with one hand and trying to dry herself off with the other. She towel-dried her hair as much as she could and got dressed quickly into a white shirt tucked into a black skirt that reached just above her knees. She swiftly applied minimal makeup and pulled her hair into a tight bun. She didn't look as immaculate as she usually did but it would have to do. Zipping up her knee high boots and grabbing her purse she broke into a jog to her Mercedes.

* * *

When Dr Whale had woken Emma up that Tuesday morning she had been confused, to say the least. But as she sat on the edge of her bed, still in her pyjamas, talking to him she was secretly glad he had.  
" _I understand being here can be tough, especially as you do not see your parents as often as most other patients_ " Whale spoke slowly, carefully, consciously trying not to offend the young patient.  
" _My father works a lot_." Emma offered as if answering a question.  
" _and your mother?_ " the doctor pressed.  
" _she… umm. She._ " Emma stuttered trying to decide whether or not to open up.  
" _you don't need to tell me now, or at all if you don't wish to but I want you to know that you can if you so desire"_  
 _"she drinks._ " Emma blurted out before her brain could stop her.  
Dr Whale stayed quiet to allow Emma to continue.  
" _When she is sober, it's great. She is funny and caring. She makes me dinner and helps me with my homework. But when she is drunk, she is angry and violent"_  
Dr Whale noted this down on his notebook before closing it and leaning forward.  
" _Thank you for telling me Emma. That can't have been easy for you_ "  
Emma was the one to stay quiet this time.  
"I _s it okay for me to ask you some questions about yesterday before I go?_ "  
Emma nodded and Whale reopened the notebook.  
" _You tried to strangle Nurse Mills, do you know why?"_  
 _"I wasn't thinking straight. I don't really remember what happened but I know I had to get out of here. She was trying to stop me and I must have blacked out or something. It shouldn't have happened_ " Emma recited what Regina had told her to say when they had spoken yesterday evening. By lying and saying it was an unconscious decision she wouldn't be able to be held accountable for the violence and as long as it did not happen again she wouldn't be moved to a more secure hospital.  
" _okay, I am going to ask Archie Hopper to see you at some point today for a little assessment. It's nothing extensive but he will ask you a few questions that will give us a better understanding of where you are right now in your recovery."_  
Emma had expected this so smiled slightly and nodded. Dr Whale stood up and placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder. _"If you ever want to talk just ask someone to call me and I will come up as soon as I can_ " Emma just nodded again and watched him walk out. As he left Neal walked in and sat down in the chair he had just vacated.  
" _How'd it go, swanny?_ " He asked with a smirk filling in the observation sheet.  
The two of them got on well and were regularly caught laughing hysterically together. Neal was only 19, Emma had friends older than him back at home.  
" _Well I am not in a straightjacket so what does that tell you_?" the blonde replied with a smirk and walked past him into the bathroom.  
" _You mind if I shower before school?_ " Emma called behind her.  
 _"you're not going to school today"_  
 _"because of yesterday?"_  
 _"yes, I don't think anyone trusts you not to strangle them Swan"_ The nurse spoke with a cheeky grin. Emma lightly slapped his arm _"shut up, Cassidy"_  
 _"oooh, I am so scared_ " The male responded sarcastically. " _Get in the shower_ "  
Emma picked up some clothes and a towel from her bedroom and jumped into the shower.

* * *

At around the same time Regina Mills was buzzing herself through the main doors of the hospital and jogging up to the ward.  
August was standing by the office door as she arrived onto the floor.  
" _I am so sorry I am late August. I…_ " she was cut off by August raising his hand.  
" _You have never been late in the 5 years you have worked here; I think I can let you off this once._ " He responded with a genuine smile which confused Regina.  
The two nurses walked into the office and August spoke as Regina stored her purse and coat in the cupboard. " _I am sorry Regina"_.  
The woman froze and slowly turned to face the male with a furrowed brow and wide eyes. " _what for?_ "  
" _I had a meeting with Dr Gold this morning. He explained that he had spoken to both you and Emma Swan and deemed the rumours to be just that; rumours. I shouldn't have been so harsh with you._ "  
Regina took a deep breath and nodded. " _It's okay August, you were just doing your job. I wouldn't expect anything less from you._ "  
The man nodded and patted the brunette on the shoulder as he left the office to patrol the ward and check on the patients. Regina stood still for a few moments breathing deeply, trying to calm the niggling guilt that had taken up residence in her chest for the past few weeks.

* * *

Emma was towel drying her hair when there was a knock on the door. She looked towards the noise waiting until August came in.  
" _Morning Mr Booth_ " Emma called over with a smile in an attempt to subdue the man with his investigations.  
" _Morning Miss Swan. Neal, Nurse Mills will be switching with you in about 5 minutes so you can accompany the patients to the school room."_  
Emma turned away from the men to hide her growing smile at the announcement under the pretence of placing her wet towel over the radiator. August left and Neal was finishing off the observations before he had to leave. Emma was planning what she was going to say to the brunette when they were alone. The excitement was bubbling in her stomach until she felt like she was going to puke.

* * *

Regina grabbed the general observations clipboard and left the office to be greeted by Kathryn. " _Good morning Kathryn._ " the nurse said with a practised smile. " _Morning Nurse Mills, are you coming with us to school this morning?"_  
 _"no, I will be on Emma's one to one in a few minutes. Neal and Milah are taking you this morning and I believe Mr Booth will be checking in regularly._ " She desperately wanted to leave this situation and finish talking to Kathryn. After what happened with her and Emma she was wary of the girl.  
" _I am not surprised Mr Booth will be checking on us. I can't believe they would leave you alone with that psycho after what she did to you. I should say something to him_ " Kathryn spoke with a glint in her eye that Regina read as a mix of jealousy and spite.  
" _No. You do not need to say anything. Everything that happened is between Emma, the rest of the staff and I. You will keep out of it if you wish to leave this place anytime soon_ " Regina's voice was laced with hostility as she leant to whisper the last part directly to Kathryn so no one else could hear. The blonde responded with an evil glare but it was no match for the look Regina was giving her so she walked straight into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Finally, only a few minutes late, Regina knocked on the door to Emma's room and as she walked in she switched clipboards with Neal who jogged down to the school room to meet the other patients. Emma looked into the mirror opposite her bed and smiled as she brushed her hair. She could see Regina perched on the edge of the chair writing something on the observation sheet with a slight blush in her cheeks.  
" _Everything okay?_ " Emma broke the silence after a few minutes as she had noticed Regina looked uncomfortable.  
" _of course Miss Swan, how are you?_ " She replied robotically with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.  
" _Regina."_  
 _"yes dear?"_  
 _"what is going on?_ " Emma placed her hairbrush on the bed and walked over to the nurse who visibly tensed at the decreasing proximity.  
" _nothing is going on. Did you sleep well?_ " Regina attempted to change the subject but Emma was having none of it.  
" _Stand up"_ The blonde spoke firmly.  
Surprisingly Regina stood without questioning her which worried Emma even more.  
Emma looked at the woman she was coming to love, not that she realised it yet, and saw in her eyes the same look she has in photos with her mother and instantly softened. The brunette looked frightened.  
" _What's happened?_ " Emma pried the clipboard out of Regina's hand, put it next to her hair brush and weaved her fingers between the brunettes.  
They stood in silence, unmoving for a few seconds before Regina took a small step backwards away from the blonde and smiled her most convincing smile.  
" _I'm just a little tired this morning. Nothing serious_ "  
Emma almost believed her but the shake in her hands and the sadness in her eyes gave her away but she decided to let it go for now.  
Emma was writing in her journal when Regina broke the silence that had surrounded them for almost 2 hours. " _Emma, I can't do this"_  
Emma stopped writing and turned to look at her with wide eyes. " _do what?_ "  
" _this"_  
 _"Regina, I don't understand"_  
 _"I can't keep working with you. It's illegal"_  
 _"working with me is illegal?"_  
 _"wanting to kiss you is illegal"_ Regina murmured so quietly Emma almost didn't hear her.  
" _We can't help what we want..."_ Emma spoke after thinking for a few moments.  
" _I shouldn't feel like this about you_ " the entire conversation was barely above a whisper.  
" _what do you feel?"_  
 _"I… I can't_ " A single tear rolled down Regina's flushed cheek and Emma reached out automatically to wipe it away with her thumb. She cupped her face with her hand feeling the temperature difference between their skin.  
" _Everything is going to be okay Regina. I promise you_ " Emma smiled sadly and Regina nestled her face into the blonde's hand for a few moments before pulling away.  
The two sat in silence looking at each other for what felt like a long time. Emma was thinking about what she could do to make the older woman feel better.  
Regina was thinking about how nothing would ever be okay again.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 -

 **AN – Trigger warning for a paragraph or two later on in the chapter. As always it will be underlined and it can be skipped. I have had a few messages and reviews that seem worried about where the story is going. Swanqueen is endgame but I want this story to be realistic which means slowburn and a lot more angst I'm afraid. Keep leaving reviews though, I love hearing what you guys think! - M &R**

 **This chapter is dedicated to Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds who passed away during the time I was writing this chapter.**

* * *

Friday 18th December 2009

Regina hadn't worked for 3 days. Emma was getting worried about her and none of the other nurses would answer her questions.  
 _"Neal. Where is Regina?"_  
" _How am I supposed to know. They are gristle not crystal_ " he smirked at his crude joke that Emma didn't really understand.  
" _She hasn't been here for a few days_ " she stated hoping for an explanation  
" _You are never this concerned about the other nurses when they aren't in_ " Neal questioned raising a thick eyebrow.  
Emma responded with a deep sigh.  
" _Emlar, stop worrying, she might be unwell or she may have taken some days off. She will be back before you know it_ " Neal was confused as to why the young girl was so caught up with the attractive yet moody nurse. He wasn't sure why anyone would care for her enough to be concerned of her whereabouts but he tried to calm her anyway. He had heard the rumors about the two of them and had ignored them for the most part but as the two of them sat in silence his mind wandered to whether there was any truth to the comments. He was brought back to the present when Emma threw a bunch of socks at his chest  
" _Earth to Neal"  
"What?"  
"I asked if you wanted to play rummy?_" Emma furrowed her brows wondering what he was so lost in thought about but realized she didn't particularly care.  
" _Sure_ "

The two sat on opposite ends of Emma's single bed playing for about an hour. The night shift was due to start soon so they didn't have long until Neal went home. They were both pretty good at the game so both won an equal amount. Eventually a quiet knock at the door interrupted one of Emma's victory dances. Both teens looked at the door, both secretly hoped it wasn't someone to take over Neal's shift with Emma. Neither expected Regina to walk in the door for a night shift. And neither expected her to look so... different.

Regina nodded to Neal as he stood up and passed her the clipboard with wide eyes. He had never seen Regina in jeans and a t-shirt before. Her hair was in a loose ponytail and her makeup was so minimal the bags under her eyes could probably be seen from space.  
Emma quickly tidied up the cards sprawled across her bed and placed them in a pile on her desk. When she turned around Neal had left and Regina was sitting on the red chair with her knees pulled up to her chest reading the clipboard. Emma stood staring at her for a few moments until the brunette looked up at her. The whites of her eyes bloodshot and her waterline a bright pink color. Her skin was duller and her hair looked like it hadn't even seen a shower in days.  
" _Are you showering before bed?"_ Regina asked, her voice showing her exhaustion. She sounded like she was about to fall asleep at any moment and if she had Emma wouldn't have been particularly surprised.  
Emma shook her head " _I showered this morning"._ She slowly edged towards her bed as if getting closer to the nurse could hurt her. " _I think I'm going to make a cup of hot chocolate, would you like anything?"_ The blonde asked. She had no idea what was going on and she had to admit she was a little scared. She had never seen Regina like this before and by Neal's reaction she could safely assume he hadn't either.  
Regina didn't respond but stood to accompany her patient to the kitchen.  
When the two of them had gone to the small kitchen together before Regina would always stand next to Emma making a coffee or cup of tea for herself. This time she stood barely in the doorway glancing at Emma every few seconds. This made Emma feel more uncomfortable than she had been when she first had to shower in front of someone. As the kettle boiled she turned to the nurse and raised an eyebrow, daring her to answer her question or to say anything at all. Regina didn't even look away from the doorframe " _black coffee no sugar"._ Emma nodded once before turning back towards the work surface as her concern grew, that wasn't how she usually took her coffee. This woman who she had grown attached too now seemed like a complete stranger. She was instantly reminded of her mother, the woman who could change as fast as she could empty a bottle of wine. Emma poured the boiling water into the mugs she had set out, her hand shaking so much she dropped it. " _Fuck_ " Emma yelled.  
It landed the right way up on the countertop so no water spilt and she was completely uninjured but Regina dropped her clipboard and rushed to her side in an instant. The nurse grabbed her arms checking them for burns but dropped them just as fast when she realized the blonde was fine. Then she reached over and poured the water herself, making sure not to touch Emma at all anymore. Once she had finished she walked away without a word, picked up the clipboard and stared at the doorframe again. Emma stood, frozen, watching her until she remembered the drinks.

* * *

When they were back in Emma's bedroom she placed both of the mugs on her bedside table that was between the bed and the chair Regina was sitting on.  
Emma was losing her cool extremely quickly. Seeing Regina like this was like watching her mother as she punched her father in the chest. As she threw bottles and picture frames and anything she could reach at Emma. As she screamed and screamed and screamed at her. But being screamed at was easier than this silence. At least she knew why her mother was treating her that way. Regina wasn't drunk and Emma has done nothing to deserve this treatment.  
Emma sat down with her back to her bed, hidden from Regina. " _I can't see you_ "  
Regina told her as she had to be in eyesight at all times.  
Emma pulled her knees to her chest and lowered her forehead to them. Tears started flowing the second her face was hidden. She had mastered crying silently as it angered her mother to hear her. A few moments passed, the fabric on Emma's knees now completely soaked with tears and Regina was standing up to lean against the desk so she could see Emma again. Seeing the blonde like this was breaking Regina's heart and within seconds her own tears were falling down her cheeks onto her shirt. The two women crying silently for a few moments until Regina couldn't stand it any longer. She sat down next to Emma and placed her hand on the blonde's back. Emma turned to look at the older woman, noticing her tear stained cheeks and was taken aback. " _Don't touch me_ " she growled as she pushed herself away from the nurse. There was about a person's width between them now. Regina burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Emma looked at her, this beautiful woman, crying her eyes out in a ball on her bedroom floor.  
" _Regina_ " she spoke just above the sound of her crying but got no response.  
" _Look at me_ " she spoke louder but still got no response.  
" _Regina fucking look at me_ " she yelled not caring if she woke Ruby next door to her.  
Regina lifted her head out of her hands and looked at the beautiful blonde next to her. The 17 year old looking right back at her. Brown, blood shot eyes meeting green. " _Tell me what is going on right now_ "  
Regina shook her head as she sniffled. " _I can't_ " she whispered.  
" _Why?_ " Emma moved closer to Regina again but still not touching her.  
" _It's wrong_." Regina whimpered and Emma's heart broke. She knew from those two words exactly what Regina was thinking. Emma knew what she wanted and what needed to happen were two different things and to help Regina she needed to put aside her own feelings.  
" _Then ignore it. We can't be together but we can't stay like this either_."  
Regina didn't say anything so Emma continued.  
" _We need to pretend we are nothing but nurse and patient. It's the only way this is going to work._ " Emma spoke quietly but neither missed her voice breaking when she said 'nothing'.  
" _You will never be nothing Emma. Not to me_ " Regina whispered staring into watery green eyes. Most of the time the only way you could tell what Emma was feeling was through her eyes.  
" _You have to pretend Regina. We both do. We can't do this_ " Emma was crying again.  
" _I know angel, I know_ "

* * *

Emma had fallen asleep resting her head on Regina's shoulder, both still sitting on the floor. Luckily the older woman was reasonably strong and the teen didn't weigh very much so Regina was able to lift Emma onto her bed and tuck her in properly. Regina had taken the night shift hoping that if Emma was asleep for the majority of her shift it would be easier to stay away from her but as she sat on the chair staring at the mess of blonde hair sprawled over the pillow with the adorably quiet snores being the only noise in the room, she knew that assumption was false. All she wanted to do right now was to cuddle up next to Emma and hold her as she slept which she could have done if she stayed with Emma on the floor but she cared too much about the comfort of the teen and she didn't want her back to hurt in the morning.

Watching the blonde sleep was making her feel how tired she was and she sat there forcing herself to stay awake.

" _Regina_ " a voice whispered from the doorway making her jump.

 _"Time for your break_ " a male nurse she had only met a few time before explained as he walked in closing the door quietly behind him.

Regina didn't want to leave Emma but knew she had to otherwise she was going to fall asleep. Usually on her break she would drive to the park down the road and eat lunch there. But this was her first night shift so she decided to drive to the 24 hour diner down the road to get some more coffee.

* * *

She sat down with her coffee in a booth, the red pleather worn down so much in parts the cushion filling was visible. She sipped the black liquid and winced at the bitter taste. It was definitely the worst coffee she had ever tasted but she didn't care. There weren't many people at the diner at 2 am so the waitress was watching her as she drank, probably making sure she wasn't some homicidal maniac. What kind of person drinks black coffee at 2 in the morning. Regina smiled towards the waitress and downed her drink as soon as it had cooled down enough, left the money on the table and walked out of the diner. She stopped in front of the doorway to the diner, closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. The cold, winter air hitting her lungs and waking her up a little.

" _What's a pretty peach like you doing in a place like this at this time of night_?" A southern sounding voice startling her.

" _Does it matter what I am doing_?" Regina responded harshly to the reasonably handsome looking guy.

" _Not at all maam, you seem stressed. You wanna smoke_?" He asked offering her an open pack of cigarettes. Regina had smoked a few times when she was younger, mainly as a rebellion from her mother but never made a habit of it so she wasn't sure why she was reaching out to take one from a stranger outside a run-down diner in the early hours of the morning. " _Thank you"_

 _"Not a problem"_ the man responded as he lit the cigarette already between Regina's lips.

Regina took a long drag from the cigarette and inhaled slowly. The warm smoke filling her lungs and calming her heart rate almost instantly. She exhaled at she looked up at the sky, the stars shining a lot brighter than she remembered them being when she lived in New York but then The Middle of Nowhere, Maine had a lot less pollution.

The two adults stood in silence as they smoked. Both of them looking up at the sky. When Regina finished her cigarette she threw it to the ground putting it out with the toe of her shoe. " _It was nice meeting you..._ "

" _Joe, you too…"_

 _"Regina_ " she replied before she walked to her car and drove back to the hospital.

* * *

It was about 5 o'clock when she decided it had been long enough and went to relieve the guy on Emma's one to one. She silently entered the blonde's bedroom and told the nurse she would stay here until the end of the shift which was 3 hours away.

Regina settled back into the chair and prepared for the next few hours.

" _You smell like smoke_ " Emma mumbled, her voice heavy with sleep as she looked up at the nurse from the bed.

" _You are supposed to be asleep_ "

" _Tim kept coughing, I've been awake for a while_ " Emma explained.

" _Well I will make sure I don't cough, go back to sleep_ " Regina spoke calmly trying to relax the teen.

" _You've been smoking_ " Emma posed as a statement more than a question.

" _Perhaps_ "

" _Why?"_

 _"I was offered one and decided to take it, is that a problem?"_

 _"Well, no, I guess not. But you told me you thought it was a disgusting habit_ " Emma quoted Regina from a few weeks ago.

" _It is, but it was one cigarette and I won't make a habit of it. Now go back to sleep Emma."_

 _"I'm not tired anymore_ " Emma shrugged as she sat up in bed.

" _Fine"_ Regina rolled her eyes as she shivered.

" _You're cold?_ " Emma asked.

" _A little, I will be fine_ " Regina smiled trying to stop Emma from worrying to no avail. Emma shuffled her body to one side of the bed and patted the mattress next to her.

" _Come here, it's warm_ " Emma demanded.

Regina debated whether or not she should. She knew she shouldn't but she really was cold and nobody was going to come in for another 3 hours so nobody would catch them. She shouldn't.

 _"Ok_ " she gave in and climbed into the bed next to Emma after removing her shoes. Emma pulled the comforter over the older woman and pulled her in closer, hugging her until she finally stopped tensing her entire body and relaxed into her embrace.

" _Are you warmer now_?" Emma whispered into Regina's hair.

" _Yes, thank you_ "

They stayed like that until Regina heard soft snoring from next to her and she climbed out of the bed laying the blonde back down and giving Emma her space back.

The room felt colder than before now she had been warm. With just over 30 minutes left of the shift she decided she could borrow one of Emma's sweaters and return it before she left however when that time came and Milah snuck in to take over so she could go home, Regina didn't want to take it off. The soft, cream woolen jumper smelt like the blonde and she wanted nothing more than the keep it, even just for the day until she returned for her next shift in 12 hours. She wrote a quick note on one of the blonde's post it notes and left it on next to her toothbrush knowing that Emma would be the first to see it there.

 _Emma,_

 _I borrowed your cream sweater, I hope you do not mind._

 _I will see you tonight so will return it to you then._

 _Enjoy your day._

 _Regina x_

* * *

Emma went to brush her teeth less than half an hour after the day shift started. Most of the patients were going home for the weekend this morning and Emma's own parents were coming to see her today. Both of them. David had visited Emma a grand total of three times in the 2 months she had been in the hospital. Mary Margaret was yet to visit. Emma stood in her small en-suite staring at the tiny x at the end of the note, imagining the internal struggle that must have happened before the was written. She smiled as she pocketed the note, not wanting to flush this one as she has the last and brushed her teeth counting down the hours until she would see the brunette again.

* * *

By the time MM and David arrived in Storybrooke there were only 5 patients left on the ward as the rest had gone home for the night. Emma had gotten dressed in light blue jeans, a white tank top with a red plaid shirt over the top to cover her arms. She had been pacing the length of the ward for the past 20 minutes. Robin had stopped following her and sat down after 5. Finally, the doorbell rang and Emma ran to hug her dad, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

" _Hey squirt_!" David exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around his daughter.

Mary Margaret stood uncomfortably behind them watching their embrace until Emma stood up and moved to hug her awkwardly. The hug lasted a few seconds and Emma hated every moment. It didn't go unnoticed by Robin who decided to stay with the family during the visit instead of giving them some time to be alone.

" _Emma, do you want to take your parents into the lounge?_ " Robin called over.

" _Yeah, ok. Umm are you coming?"_ Emma asked turning to look at Robin. The look in her eyes made Robin think she wanted him to stay but he wasn't sure.

" _Yes, I will give you some space but I do have to be in the room with you_ " he lied. When family members visited patients on one to one observations they were allowed to be left with the family, unless the family wasn't trusted to keep their child safe.

The four of them sat in the lounge, Emma and David sitting close together, Mary Margaret sitting on the couch opposite them. Robin sat on an arm chair by the door watching MM out of the corner of his eye and listening to the conversation.

The conversation remained calm and normal for 15 minutes or so. The family spoke about Emma's friends, Davids work and what positive things people had said about Emma. Until " _Do you like it here Emma?_ " Mm asked. Robin was intrigued to the answer to this question as it said a lot about a patient whether or not they liked it in the hospital.

" _Umm, I guess. Everyone is really caring and friendly_ " Emma replied rolling her shoulder noncommittally. David stayed quiet as always.

" _So you prefer it to being at home then?_ "

The loaded question making Emma tense and turn to look at Robin with wide eyes who was watching the interaction closely.

" _Umm. I. Sometimes_ " Emma answered honestly.

" _Well what is the point of us visiting then if you don't want to be around us?_ " Mm raised her voice.

" _That's not what I said_ " Emma replied, her voice shaking.

" _Come on David, we clearly aren't welcome here_." Mm directed at Emma as she stood up quickly, staring at her like she wanted to kill her.

Emma grabbed her dad's hand and Robin stood up prepared to intervene if necessary.

" _Has she been drinking_?" Emma whispered to her dad making sure her mother couldn't hear her.

David nodded slightly, only Emma caught the movement and sighed.

He leaned across and placed a kiss on his daughter's temple with a squeeze of her hand before standing to leave with his wife.

Robin looked at David as he walked past and mouthed " _I've got her, it's okay_ "

David stopped to shake Robin's hand and left the hospital with watery eyes.

Emma was still sitting on the couch and had pulled a cushion into her lap playing with the fabric.

" _Emma"_

 _"Mmh"_

" _Do you need anything_?" Robin asked soothingly placing his hand on her knee as he knelt in front of her.

Emma shook her head and stood up to walk into her room.

* * *

The rest of the day Emma didn't say a word. Just going through the motions. She ate lunch sitting with the other 4 patients that hadn't gone on home leave, Ruby, Belle, Peter and Will. She didn't say a word. After lunch was the biweekly group therapy session. Emma decided to go as it gave her an hour without being constantly asked if she was okay. Or so she thought.

" _How is everyone today_ " Dr Hopper asked as he sat down next to Peter on the couch opposite Emma, Ruby and Belle. Will was sitting on his own chair.

" _Good_ " the group, minus Emma, responded.

" _So I thought today we could talk about the future? How does that sound?_ " Hopper addresses the group.

" _What do you mean the future_? Peter asked.

" _Well why don't you start Peter, what is your ideal future?_ " Dr Hopper turned his body to face the young boy.

" _Umm. I would be working as an actor, wife, kids. Big house in a suburban neighborhood and an apartment in New York City. I wouldn't have scars anymore. I would be clean from drugs. I would be happy with my life and myself. Err, Is that the kind of answer you wanted_?" Peter spoke confidently, Emma always envied his confidence but knew it was an act. She had seen him shaking and sweating as he cried for days with drug withdrawals. His voice was strong but the tremor gave him away.

" _That's brilliant Peter. Who wants to go next?_ "Hopper turned his body back towards the group. Ruby spoke up " _I will_." She sat up a little and cleared her throat.

" _I would be married to a beautiful woman, maybe own a little cafe or diner. Have a dog. No. Two dogs. And a little cottage in the woods with a big garden for them to run around in."_

 _"What about your mental health?_ " Dr Hopper asked

" _Well I would be alive. And I would want to stay that way._ " Ruby offered.

" _Fantastic! Who is next?_ "

Belle spoke up and told her dreams of living in a little seaside town running a library. Married with one or two children. Her scars would have faded and her hair will have grown back in the places where she has pulled it out. She smiled as everyone listened intently to her detailed descriptions her ideal life.

Then it was Will's turn, " _I don't know what I want to do, or be or where I want to live. Maybe New York or Chicago. I just know I want to be able to look at a plate full of food and not think about how many calories it contains. And be able to step on a scale and look at the number without crying and be able to look in the mirror without hating every single thing I see._ " When he finished he was crying. So was Emma. Not because of Will's story but because she was next and she didn't have an ideal future. She didn't want a future.

Emma stood up, ran out of the room and straight into her room locking the door behind her before Robin could even react. The door could be unlocked from the outside by the nurses but it would take them a few moments to get the key. Emma grabbed the desk chair and pushed it underneath the door handle. She just needed to be alone, just for a little while.

Pacing her room, she could hear the voices of Robin, Neal, August and Milah trying to unlock the door. Neal was yelling through the door " _Emma just open the door_ "

Emma's pacing speed increased as she started clenching and un-clenching her fists. " _Emma open the door sweetie_ " Milah tried.

The blonde grabbed the mug that once held Regina's coffee and threw it at the wall. The voices behind the door silenced for a few seconds and then were louder than ever. " _Emma? what was that noise? Open the door. We are just trying to help you_ "

Emma could hear they had got the key into the lock. It wouldn't take long for them to open the door now. The door handle twisted down and halted at the chair. She heard them mention taking the door off of its hinges. That would take about 2 minutes, it was a specially made door for psychiatric hospitals that you could just pull off the hinges without tools.

She walked towards the mess of broken china and knelt in front of it.

She reached out for one of the sharpest parts and rolled her sleeve up. She pressed the sharp edge onto her wrist just above a light pink scar running from one side to the other. She pulled slowly downwards through the older scar and down further until the door was kicked open. The blonde didn't move as the nurses rushed around. August was calling Dr Whale. Neal was applying pressure to the bleeding wound. Milah was cleaning up the China including the blood covered piece that Emma had dropped wearing latex gloves.

The blonde sat on her knees sobbing uncontrollably until Dr Whale arrived with an injection and a weaker version of the drug in a pill which he made sure to bring so Regina wouldn't kill him for not trying to calm the girl down before injection. But offering the pill to Emma didn't work and neither did talking to her. So her jeans were pulled down an inch or two and Whale injected her with the medication.

* * *

When Emma woke up it was around 9pm so the night shift had started. She rolled herself over in bed feeling the bruise on her lower back where she was injected. Marian was sitting next to her watching her closely.

" _how are you feeling?"_ she asked quietly.

" _tired"_ Emma answered honestly. " _what time is it?"_

" _it's just after 9"_

 _"oh"_ she had hoped Regina would be on her one to one when the night shift started.

" _how is your wrist feeling?"_ Marian was looking at her like a lost child.

Emma lifted her arm and saw the thick bandage around it.

" _I can't feel any pain, so fine I guess"_ Emma shrugged picking at the bandage as it frayed.

" _It was glued so you can't get it wet for a few days but I think Dr Whale will be coming to explain all of that to you tomorrow morning."_ Marian wrote on the observation sheet "in bed, awake"

" _Is Regina working tonight?"_ Emma found herself asking even though she knew the answer.

" _yes, she had some notes to write up but I think she is rostered to be with you in about an hour"_

" _ok"_ Emma smiled internally and slowly climbed out of bed making sure she felt steady enough before she moved into the bathroom. She picked up her toothbrush remembering the note that was left for her that morning with a slight smile that left when she remembered the days events.

The hour before Regina arrived felt like the longest hour of Emma's life. She sat on indian style on her bed pulling at the fabric of her comforter listening to Marian tell her a story about an old patient that got better. The nurses liked to tell their success stories as if they thought it helped. It never did. After the day she had had all she wanted to do was see the beautiful brunette.

When Regina finally walked in she smiled at Marian and took the clipboard off of her. She waited until she heard the door close behind her and she rushed towards Emma wrapping her arms around her and holding her close.

" _I am so sorry your day has been so awful my angel, it's all okay now. I'm here"_


	12. Chapter 12

**I hadn't planned to upload this until this weekend but after a review from broadwayluver6 that made my day, I decided to upload early :) This one is for you!**

 **I am back at college now so my writing time has just been cut in half so I will try to upload sometime next week but don't be alarmed if there isn't a new chapter. I have been trying to make my chapters longer but if you guys prefer shorter ones with more frequent uploads let me know - M**

* * *

" _Regina stop"_ Emma spoke barely above a whisper.

The nurse stepped back looking at Emma hiding her emotions as she had been raised to do.

" _I can't live like this. The push and pull. I never know how you are going to treat me, if you're going to ignore me or if you're actually gonna speak to me. It's fucking with my head"_ she explained wringing her hands behind her back, looking anywhere but at the person in front of her.

The room fell silent for an uncomfortably long period of time.

" _I'm sorry Emma. I will back off. Try to be more consistent."_

 _"No! don't back off. Stay… I think we should maybe talk about like boundaries and stuff."_ She started speaking quickly but spoke the last part slowly, unsure whether she should or not.

Regina stiffened " _boundaries?"_

 _"yeah, like what we can and can't do or say. Having rules might make it easier to stay professional"_

 _"Do you want me to be more professional Emma?"_ Regina adopted her serious tone of voice.

 _"not even a little bit."_ She took a deep breath " _but I don't think we have a choice"_

 _"mmh"_ Regina agreed with a sharp nod " _can I still hug you?"_ she spoke unevenly, the normally confident woman sounded like a frightened child. She hated feeling so vulnerable.

" _of course, but I think we should only hug when there is no one looking. Or you could start hugging the other patients too so it doesn't look like favouritism?"_ Emma verbalized the thought before realizing how much she hated the idea of Regina hugging anyone but her.

" _I don't want to hug anyone else Emma."_ The two were slowly moving closer to each other without realizing, as if they were opposite ends of magnets.

 _"are you staying on nights?_ " Emma inquired looking up, noticing for the first time how glassy Regina's eyes looked. Her pupils small in the dark room.

" _I haven't decided yet, I was going to talk to you about it first. I prefer working in the daytime if I am honest with you however working nights gives us less time interacting in front of people so a lower chance of more rumours spreading. I also enjoy watching you sleep, its peaceful."_

Regina wasn't sure why she was admitting such personal and slightly embarrassing things to Emma but she was even more confused as to why she didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest.

" _well, that was creepy and adorable."_ Emma teased reaching her hand out to stroke Regina's upper arm but retracting from the touch as if she had been burnt.

" _what would you prefer I do?"_ Regina ignored the blonde.

" _I like being able to spend time with you alone more at night, It's comforting going to sleep when you are here but I liked being woken up by you, eating meals with you, ya know? I preferred it when you were on days."_ Emma answered avoiding eye contact.

" _well that's what I will do then"_ Regina smiled and placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders not pulling her into a hug but just feeling her hands rise and fall with every breath.

* * *

Later that night, when a familiar nurse came to take over Emma's one to one observations, she wrote an email to August letting him know she wanted to switch back onto day shifts as soon as possible. Then she drove back to the little diner she had gone to the previous night. The cold night air was harsh and her thin shirt wasn't keeping the breeze out. As she climbed out of her car she saw Emma's borrowed sweater. Regina had washed it before she came to work but decided Emma wouldn't mind if she wore it for an hour or so. She pulled the sweater over her head and instantly felt warmer. The article didn't smell like the blonde anymore but it was still extremely soft and comforting.

Sitting in the same booth with her cappuccino which wasn't much better than the black coffee she scrolled through her phone noticing a new text message from her mother.

 _Hello darling,_

 _I had brunch with Irene Blanchard last week and I had an idea so you and Leo are going to Dinner together on the 29th. He will pick you up at 7._

 _-Cora_

Regina sighed. This wasn't the first date her mother had set her up on. But the Blanchard's were of a higher standard than other dates she had gone on. Leo's father was Regina's own father's business partner before they passed away. This wasn't just a date; Cora was trying to marry her off. She finished her coffee in 2 large gulps and went outside to sit on one of the benches not noticing her new friend sitting a few benches away.

" _well look at you all gussied up"_ Joe chimed moving from where he was sitting towards the nurse.

" _You merely met me on a bad day"_ Regina clarified noting that Joe was sitting in front of her now.

" _Well I have to say your bad days rival many people's good days."_ He spoke flirtatiously but with a smile that let Regina know he was just being friendly.

" _thank you Joe, so… are you going to tell me why you are here at this time?"_

The young man took a harsh breath in cupping his hands around the take-out coffee cup on the bench table.

" _My daughter."_

Regina raised an eyebrow in confusion.

" _She is 8 weeks old"_ he elaborated. " _my wife Maggie, she left me about 3 weeks ago. Just took Elizabeth, upped and left. I found her after a week or so. She had moved from San Antonio up here. I followed her to find her living with some other guy. I just want to see Lizzie. I don't sleep much anymore"_ he explained sadly.

" _Do you have a lawyer?"_ Regina asked.

" _can't afford one"_ Joe pulled out two cigarettes from his packet, offering one to Regina who accepted it.

" _A good friend of mine is a lawyer, she may be able to take your case on pro bono. I can ask her if you would like?"_ Regina offered nonchalantly. She was growing fond of this guy even after only spending an hour and a half with him. He didn't know her so didn't treat her by walking on egg shells like most people did. He also wasn't looking at her like she was a piece of meat. Joe was easily one of the genuine people Regina had ever met and he looked so weakened by his situation. He was a handsome guy with shoulder length dark brown hair, pine green eyes and a jawline that could rival a model's.

" _really?"_ Joe's face lit up " _you're serious?"_ he exclaimed lighting Regina's cigarette before his own.

 _"of course. It's not a problem at all."_ Regina pulled a small notepad and pen out of her purse and slid it over. " _write your number down and I will get in touch when I have spoken to my friend"_

" _well butter me up and call me a biscuit"_ Joe mumbled

He quickly wrote his number down, passing the paper back to Regina who placed them safely back in her purse.

" _are you going to tell me why you are here at the ass crack of dawn?_ "

" _I'm on my break from work"_ She offered taking a long pull from her cigarette.

" _but that doesn't explain why you look so stressed"_ He spoke with an honesty she had only ever seen from Emma. Most people were afraid of her or her family name to ever be so direct with her. It was refreshing.

" _there's a girl"_ She began to explain to her new friend.

* * *

Just a few miles down the road, Emma was sitting up in bed chatting to Olivia.

" _Emma, you should be asleep. I'm not going to have a conversation with you at 3 am"_

 _"god. You're so much like Regina"_ She mumbled pulling the covers up to her shoulders.

" _I'm much nicer"_ Olivia mused.

" _you know her?"_ Emma enquired.

" _we work together Emma. Of course I know her"_ she evaded the truth.

Emma turned her body away from the nurse and tried to sleep. Hoping that when she woke up next the woman wouldn't be there anymore.

* * *

When Emma finally did wake up she woke to Neal tapping his pen against the clipboard.

" _If you don't stop I will shove that pen somewhere you really don't want it"_ Emma joked.

" _Good morning Miss Aggression."_ Neal spoke in a radio show host voice which made the blonde giggle.

" _it's 3 days until Christmas, how can you be in such a bad mood_?"

 _"Neal. I'm sitting in a psychiatric hospital and besides…I don't like Christmas"_ Emma answered climbing out of bed.

" _You are definitely going to hate the ward then"_

Emma didn't speak. She just walked out of her room still in her pajamas. The second the door opened she cringed. Last Christmas by Wham! was playing through the corridor. There was tinsel around the doorways and to her surprise, a giant Christmas tree just outside the lounge door.

" _for fucks sake"_ Emma grumbled and she closed the door and moved to her wardrobe to get dressed for the day. Inside was her cream sweater with a note pinned to the front.

" _Emma, I am sorry I forgot to give it to you earlier. I washed it at my house but then I got cold on my break and wore it again. I didn't think you would mind. I will see you in two days – R_

Emma smiled thinking about Regina silently hanging up her sweater trying not to wake her up. She pulled the sweater off of the hanger, unpinning the note and shoving it into the pocket of a hoodie inside the wardrobe. She pulled it over her head noting that it smelt deliciously like Regina's expensive perfume mixed with her apple shampoo. She hugged her arms around herself, closing her eyes, imagining Regina's arms in place of her own. Eventually, Neal cleared his throat pulling Emma out of her trance.

" _what?"_ Emma almost growled.

" _you're going to be late for school."_

* * *

After school and lunch, Emma had an appointment with Dr Whale. Sitting in on the bed in the medical room she watched him as he picked up a few sheets of paper, pinning them onto his clipboard. He sat in his desk chair and rolled it over to be in front of the blonde.

" _How did your morning go Emma?"_ he asked brushing his quiffed hair back off of his face.

" _it was pretty good"_ she replied rubbing her thighs rapidly trying to keep warm in the cold room.

" _You've been on one to one observations for quite a while now. I'm starting to think it's doing you more harm than good. So I would like to move you back up to 15-minute observations. How do you feel about that?"_

Emma had mixed emotions. On one hand, she would have a lot more freedom and privacy. She could spend more time with the girls because they would all be able to talk more freely without a nurse there. But on the other hand, she would have to find and make up reasons to see Regina. Being on one to one was good because no one questioned the amount of time they were spending together.

Emma smiled " _sounds good doc"_. When she was escorted back up onto the ward with Whale she waltzed into her room and close the door behind her. It felt great but she couldn't help but hate knowing she was going to go to sleep tomorrow night without Regina by her side.

Regina woke up from her sleep feeling even more exhausted than before she went to sleep. Working nights was taking a lot out of her but luckily, she only had one more night shift before she switched back to days. There were about 30 hours until she would see Emma again. She didn't have any plans for the day other than grocery shopping and letting her mother know she would not be going on a date with Leo Blanchard. Regina and Leo had been friends when they were younger. They would run around the studios dodging golf carts and people. Mills and Blanchard Film Studios and Production Company was the most well-known company in show business; a household name. When Henry Mills passed away 16 years ago and Jack Blanchard following around 10 years later the company was passed down to the children: Leo, Regina and Zelena. Regina leaves the running of the company to the other two and accepts 15% of the profit. With the amount of money that she makes, she has no need to work. But after losing Daniel she knew that she wanted to help other people. That's when she decided to train as a nurse about 7 years ago.

The brunette stepped out of bed and put her robe on over her naked body. She padded to the bathroom and ran a bath. Sitting on the edge of the bath lazily running her hand through the water, spreading the bubbles around the entire tub her mind wandered to Emma Swan. She wondered what she was doing right now, hoping she was feeling okay and wishing she could speak to her.

Once the bath was run Regina shrugged her robe off and climbed in. The warm, soapy water pulling her in. Dissolving her. She slid her body down until the water covered everywhere below her neck. The ends of her hair were getting wet but she didn't care. Her eyes fluttered closed as she allowed herself to relax, the water taking away her stress bit by bit. As long as she focused on her breathing she could keep her mind reasonably clear. After a while she felt the water getting cooler and cooler until she decided to get out and phone her mother. She wrapped a fluffy towel around her body and folded the top over so it would stay up. She paced her room in her towel whilst the phone rang. And rang. And rang. " _Cora Mills"_

 _"Hello mother"_

20 minutes later and Regina was still listening to The Life of Cora as per usual. When she noticed a gap between stories Regina spoke quickly.

" _I'm busy on the 29th"_

 _"I am aware, Leo seemed quite excited that you finally agreed to go out with him, he has been trying for years"_

 _"I didn't agree."_ Regina mumbled "I _meant that I already have plans for that evening"  
_

 _"Well, cancel your plans or speak to him to rearrange if you must"_

 _"I'm not going on a date with Leo Blanchard."_

 _"I put effort into helping you and this is how you repay me? Leo is the best man for you. He is driven, handsome and powerful. He holds 50% of the company, you needn't work another day Regina!"_

 _"You don't need to work either with all of the money daddy left you yet you still practice medicine"_

 _"Yes, well we all need something to keep us busy"_

 _"Or do you like the power mother? People answering to you like they did to daddy"_ Regina blurted out and instantly regretted it.

 _"Mind yourself, Regina, we wouldn't want your little affair getting out"_

 _"What affair?!"_

 _"The child dear_ " the older woman spoke as if it was obvious.

Regina froze, wide eyed and her heart felt like it had dropped into her stomach.

 _"Emma Swan. The girl I treated at my hospital a few weeks ago_ " Cora's voice remained infuriatingly calm.

" _She is a patient mother. How dare you assume anything more_ " Regina hissed.

" _Oh come on Regina, you can lie to Robert but you cannot lie to me"_

 _"I am not lying to you. Is this why you're trying to set me up with Leo? Because of some juvenile rumours?"_ Regina was borderline hysterical.

" _I will admit it played a part in my idea. I will not allow you to throw away your life for a child. You are worthy of much more. You're a Mills_ "

Regina hung up the phone, hyperventilating. At some point during the conversation her towel had fallen away and suddenly she felt very cold. Her whole body was shaking, her legs left like they had turned to jello. She fell to the ground and stayed there for a long time.

* * *

Emma sat in the lounge with Ruby, Belle, Ella and Anna. They were watching an episode of American Idol. Emma was hating it so sat braiding Ella's hair as she sang along to one of the songs.

" _how does it feel to be free Em?"_ Ruby called across the room.

" _pretty damn good"_

 _"when I came off one to one I felt super lonely for a while, you get used to someone being there all the time"_ Ella started as Emma tied the braid with a bobble. " _if you ever feel lonely come and find me, I'm always awake on these fucking meds"_ She explained rolling her eyes.

" _yeah, me too Emma. You can always wake me up but make sure you hide from the nurses. They get pissed when we are out of our rooms at night_ " Belle cautioned.

" _fuck 'em all, they get to go home at the end of the shift. We are stuck here so if we want to be awake all night. What are they going to do?"_ Ruby challenged.

" _chill out Red! I can't be dealing with Hops asking me why I'm being 'defiant' and somehow blaming it on my parents. Therapy is such a joke."_ Belle quipped. Emma covered her mouth as she laughed properly for the first time in a long time

Anna remained quiet which wasn't unusual but she smiled in agreement. Emma missed these chats with the other patients. Conversations with staff in the room was always careful and fake. Being a part of the group again felt like coming home.

* * *

The next day was reasonably uneventful, Emma spent the day chatting to Ella and Belle. Ruby was having a bad day so hadn't stepped foot out of her room and Anna had been put on 1:1 in the night for some reason unknown to the patients. She woke up to Robin announcing the time from the doorway, it felt abrupt but preferable over being on one to one any day.

" _what do you think happened to Anna?"_ Ella asked over dinner that night.

Emma shoved a large mouthful of chicken into her mouth " _dunno_ "

" _do you think she did something stupid?"_ the patient's code for self-harm.

" _no idea. I will ask Robin later if she is okay but I wouldn't be surprised if she did. She didn't seem herself last night. She is always pretty quiet but like always joins in conversation. Maybe something happened on home leave on Saturday?"_ Emma didn't like to speculate but knew Ella wouldn't allow her to change the subject until it was spoken about.

" _should I go and see her when we get back up onto the ward?"_

Emma nodded _"good idea."_

Back on the ward Ella jogged up to Anna's open door and Emma could hear her talking to her and Marian but couldn't make out what they were saying. She would have gone too but knew that having your doorway surrounded by patients was uncomfortable so would get the information from Ella later on. Kathryn was sitting on the couch reading a book when the girls arrived. " _hey Emma?"_

" _what?"_ Emma responded rudely.

" _hey chill girl, I'm just tryna chat"_ Kathryn put on a fake smile trying to lure the other blonde in.

" _why would I want to talk to you?"_ Emma started to walk away

" _because I know your little secret"_

 _"what the fuck are you on about?"_

 _"you and Regina"_

 _"back on that again are we? Keep your nose in your own business"_

 _"you didn't deny it"_

 _"I don't need to. You're the only one still on that Kathryn. You're fucking psycho"_ Emma hissed.

" _EMMA SWAN_ " August shouted from the doorway to the office.

Emma turned to face him, face still red from anger. " _what?"_

" _apologise and walk away"_ he demanded.

" _I am not apologising to that."_ Emma growled as she stomped towards her room but before she shut the door she heard Kathryn putting on a sweet voice " _it's fine Mr Booth,_ _she is a bit touchy because Nurse Mills isn't here"._

" _you're fucking kidding me right?"_ Emma was about 2 seconds from losing it.

" _calm down girls, Kathryn I think you need to walk away from Emma's room"_ August was trying his best to defuse the situation to no avail.

 _"Calm down? This BITCH needs to fucking calm down"_ Emma was shouting so loud the other patients were coming out to see what all the noise was about.

 _"Mr Booth, she keeps swearing at me!_ She said looking directly at Emma with a sly grin.

August didn't even get a chance to respond before Emma had closed the gap between then and was swinging at Kathryn. She hit her once. Twice. Three times. The last one narrowly missing her nose.

August grabbed Emma whilst the shrieking alarm that he pressed told the other nurses to come running and only a minute later Emma was shut in her room with Graham who had a shift in the adult ward today.

" _what's going on?"_ Graham asked watching as the blonde paced the room with clenched fists.

 _"that fucking bitch is what's going on! She keeps spreading rumours about me. Acting like sly and pretending she is so innocent. I'm gonna kill her"_

 _"if you say that again I will have to report it so take some deep breaths and try and calm yourself down."_

Emma grabbed the gold cross she always wore around her neck despite being unreligious and held the cool, flat metal between her fingers. After a few slow breaths, she sat on her bed defeated.

" _I'm fine Graham, you can go"_

 _"are you sure? I can stay a little longer if you want?"_

 _"nah, I'm fine. Might have a nap or something"_

Graham half smiled and left the room. Emma laid back on her bed with her hands on either side of her forehead. 2 hours until Regina's shift. She could manage that.


	13. Chapter 13

Regina shut her front door behind her and walked towards her car. She pulled her phone out of her purse and searched for her friend's number.

" _Wendy? It's Regina Mills"_ she had the phone held between her shoulder and her ear whilst she opened the car door awkwardly.

 _"_ _Hey sweetie! Long time no speak! How have you been?"_ Regina could hear the clicking of a keyboard in the background.

" _I'm doing really well, I actually called to ask a favour of you?"_

 _"_ _what do you need?"_ the clicking stopped

 _"_ _I have a friend that needs a lawyer for custody agreement for his 2-month old baby. The thing is I told him you would do it pro bono"_ she spoke hesitantly.

Wendy took a deep breath " _Regina…."_

" _I know you can't do that… so I want you to tell him you are doing it for free and I will pay you"_

 _"_ _who is this guy?"_ the lawyer was audibly intrigued.

 _"_ _his name is Joe, he's just a good friend"_

 _"_ _I haven't heard you mention him before. What's his last name?"_

" _you won't know him; he isn't from money…"_

 _"_ _I gathered that Regina, he can't afford me"_

 _"_ _you're an expensive lawyer"_ Regina quipped.

 _"_ _I'm one of the best and you know it"_ Regina could hear the cheeky grin through the phone.

 _"_ _I know, so do we have a deal? The finances stay between us?"_

 _"_ _no problem honeypie, text me his number and I will give him a call later on today"_

 _"_ _Thank you, Wendy, this means the world"_ Regina gave the number and hung up with a big smile as she turned the key in the ignition and drove to work always above the speed limit.

When she arrived on the ward she could immediately feel the tension in the air. You could have cut through it with a knife.

" _good evening Graham_ " she spoke quietly.

" _do you want the news now or can you wait until handover?"_ he saw straight through her greeting.

" _now please"_ if she had been asked the same question 4 months ago she wouldn't have cared and could have waited until handover. She pretended she just wanted to know why the ward felt so uncomfortably quiet but she knew it was because she wished to know if Emma was okay.

" _Emma is off one to one, Anna is on one to one, Kathryn and Emma had a fight so are being kept apart for the time being and…"_ Graham continued to brief Regina on the meal plan and medication changes from the past 24 hours but she zoned out, Emma was off one to one observations. She pretended to listen nodding at regular intervals and then excused herself to use the 'restroom'. She quickly snuck into Emma's room closing the door behind her.

Emma was in the bathroom getting dressed after showering, she leant over the sink to wipe the condensation off of the mirror wearing only a black bra and matching underwear. Her pyjamas neatly folded over the radiator on the wall, she always put them there so they would be warm when she put them on. She was wiping the mirror with the corner of her damp towel when she saw Regina standing in the doorway behind her.

" _hey you"_ Emma turned around forgetting she was wearing only underwear

 _"_ _hey"_ Regina repeated " _you're off one to one"_

 _"_ _I am indeed"_

 _"_ _you also punched Kathryn"_

 _"_ _mhhh"_ the blonde shrugged non-committally turning around to brush her teeth. Regina's eye automatically lowering onto the black lace covered part of Emma's body.

" _how was your time off?"_ Emma spoke with the toothbrush in her mouth muffling her voice.

" _it was okay I guess, I had a bit of an argument with my mother"_ Again, Regina wasn't sure why she was disclosing such information to Emma.

" _do you want to talk about it?"_ Emma offered before spitting into the sink and putting her toothbrush back in its holder.

" _umm.. no. it… it's okay. Thank you though"_ Regina stuttered knowing she couldn't tell Emma that the argument was half about her.

" _as literate as always"_ Emma teased turning back to face Regina wiping her face with the towel before throwing it on the ground.

" _I think you will find that you are the illiterate one and apparently the messy one too"_ she retorted retrieving the towel from the floor to fold it. She picked the warm clothes off of the radiator replacing it with the towel so the cleaners could find easily it the next morning.

" _you should get dressed"_ she added looking anywhere but the blonde's toned body holding the pile of warm clothes.

" _why's that Regina?"_ the blonde smirked

 _"_ _you're naked"_

 _"_ _you don't like it?"_ Emma placed the clothes on the closed lid of the toilet and walked towards Regina reaching her arms out to hold onto her waist.

 _"_ _Emma…"_

 _"_ _what?"_ she whispered as she pulled the older woman into a hug resting her cheek on her shoulder.

" _Emma we can't"_ she mumbled as the blonde moved her mouth towards her olive neck.

" _why not?"_ Emma grabbed Regina's hands and moved them to her back then returned her own to Regina's hips. She moved her hands below her navy blue silk shirt caressing the smooth skin on her stomach.

" _I need to go to handover"_ Regina tried to make excuses because, as much as it needed to, she really didn't want this to stop.

" _then go"_ Emma's warm breath was dancing across Regina's neck.

Regina took a deep breath, savouring the moment and pushed Emma away.

" _what has gotten into you?"_ Regina hissed angrily.

" _you were sad; I was cheering you up. If you didn't want it, you should have said"_ Emma responded in a matter of fact way. She picked up her pyjama shirt and lifted it to put it on over her head and paused.

" _Regina"_

"yes." the nurse was staring unapologetically at the young girl's alabaster skin.

" _handover"_

 _"_ _yes, handover"_ Regina was forced out of her daydream and turned around to leave.

" _I will come and see you a bit later"_ She called behind her as she rushed to the office already 5 minutes late for the handover from the day staff.

Emma finished getting dressed into her pyjamas and left her room with her hairbrush and 2 hair ties. The walk to the lounge was about 5 steps, the distance to the furthest part of the ward was only about 30 steps; it was easy to feel claustrophobic in this place. She walked to the lounge and found Ella and Ruby in there playing a SpongeBob game on the PlayStation 2. They didn't have the budget to get the PS3 or to even get any more games but the patients made do. Emma sat down beside Ella and watched the girl's character's fight over gym weights they needed to collect to win the game. It was hilarious to watch the girls getting so into the game.

" _when this game finishes will you braid my hair, Els?_ "

" _of course"_

A few moments passed and Emma found herself daydreaming about Regina; what she wore when she slept, what her favourite food was, did she have any pets until she was abruptly brought back to the present by Ruby's victory screeching.

" _I AM THE MOTHERFUCKING CHAMPION BITCHES"_

Emma giggled and Ella feigned a pouty, sad face. Regina and Graham ran in, the latter wearing his coat clearly ready to go home which meant handover had just finished.

" _what was that?"_ he asked. They must have heard the shouting from the office and thought it was something bad.

" _I am the champion of this game"_ Ruby explained smiling widely finding this entirely too amusing.

" _Ruby is just excited, so she must let everyone in a 10-foot radius know of course"_ Emma giggled which made Regina smile even though she tried to hide it by turning away.

The nurses left the room once they felt confident everything was ok and Emma felt Ella move to sit behind her.

" _brush"_ the younger blonde requested with an open hand.

" _ask politely"_ Emma joked ready to pass the brush to her.

" _please"_ she rolled her eyes grabbing the brush and getting rid of the knots in Emma's long wet hair.

The older blonde sat letting Ella carefully braid her hair one on each side of her head trying not to pull her hair too hard. Emma would never tell her how much it meant to her that she didn't want to hurt her. Nobody had cared that much about her to try and protect her before. Well apart from Regina. Her mind filled with the image of the nurse smiling at Emma's sarcasm. Her smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The electronic sounds from the video game and Ruby's frustrated huffs were the only sounds in the room but it was still perfectly peaceful. Emma felt the ends of her hair being tied off and Ella moving away. " _the masterpiece is complete"_ Ella put on an awful French accent.

" _thanks, hun"_ Emma responded chuckling to herself.

Emma stood up and went to make a cup of tea before the kitchen was locked. She had about 15 minutes until the 9 pm cut off. As she arrived in the kitchen she saw Kathryn opening a packet of biscuits. The bruising on her face fading but still visible. Emma really did a number on her.

" _I will leave"_ Emma mumbled and turned to wait outside

" _no it's okay, I'm going"_ Kathryn walked past and Emma held back the immature urge to trip her up.

She entered the kitchen clicking the kettle on to boil and put a tea bag and two teaspoons of sugar into one of the cardboard hot drinks cups. It was an old kettle so it took close to five minutes to boil so she pushed herself up to sit on the countertop swinging her legs as she waited.

Regina and Olivia were sitting in silence in the office, both busy with paperwork the day staff had left for them to do. Olivia sighed loudly " _we need to clear the air, Regina"_

" _I have no wish to communicate with you"_ Regina spoke in her practised tone.

" _we can't work together if we aren't talking"_

 _"_ _quit then"_

 _"_ _Stop it. You broke up with me, why are you so angry at me?"_ Olivia turned around in the chair to look Regina in the eyes " _I don't know what I did wrong"_

 _"_ _nothing. You did nothing wrong. I told you the problem was never you"_

 _"_ _then what was it? Was there someone else?"_

 _"_ _yes. No. I don't know."_

 _"_ _I don't understand. Why do you hate me?"_

 _"_ _I don't. I don't hate you at all"_

 _"_ _then what is the problem?"_

 _"_ _I wish It could have worked between us. I'm angry at myself for messing it up"_

Olivia's face softened, she stood up and moved to kneel next to the teary brunette. She placed her caramel coloured hand on Regina's thigh, her naturally black hair flowing in curls over her right shoulder. Blue eyes met brown. " _we can fix this, go back to the way things were. I miss you baby"_

 _"_ _I miss you too, but I can't. I can't do this"_

 _"_ _why not?"_ Olivia moved her hand and grasped her palms together.

" _there is someone else. I just wish it could have worked out between us, and I wish - she was more…. I don't even know"_ Regina almost said Emma's name but stopped herself.

 _"_ _well, I hope she makes you happy"_ Olivia stood up to move back to her desk feeling rejected and more confused than before.

" _I'm going to make a coffee; do you want one?"_ Regina changed the subject easily.

" _no, thank you"_

Regina walked into the kitchen to see Emma sitting on the counter swinging her legs against the cupboard door below.

" _you're going to break it if you don't stop"_

Emma jumped not noticing the nurse enter " _sorry"_

 _"_ _no need to apologise, dear. How are you feeling? I like your hair like that by the way"_ Regina walked forward and ran her index finger down the braid realising it was wet pulling away rapidly " _it's wet"_ she exclaimed grimacing.

" _I know, I just washed it"_ Emma laughed at Regina wiping her hand onto Emma's pyjama clad thigh with a look of disgust. " _it's just water Regina, or was that just an excuse to touch my leg"_ she said with a cheeky smirk waiting to see how the older woman would react.

Regina's cheeks blushed a bright pink giving her away but she still raised one eyebrow " _you wish Miss Swan"_

 _"_ _oh I really do"_ She winked at Regina with the smirk still plastered to her face " _close the door a second, I want to ask you something"_

Regina paused for a moment but complied shutting the door completely and turning to face Emma not moving away from the doorway.

" _come here"_ Regina didn't move " _I don't bite"_ Emma held her hand out and smiled to try and reduce Regina's anxiety. It seemed to work as she slowly edged closer to the blonde who was still sitting on the countertop, the kettle long since boiled. Regina stared at the offered hand, internally debating whether or not to take it. After a few moments, she feebly took it, both moving to intertwine their fingers automatically. The nurse was standing in front of Emma's legs, her stomach almost touching the girl's knees. They stayed looking at their joined hands for a minute or so until Regina relaxed and leant forward slightly touching Emma's legs. Emma immediately opened her legs and wrapped them around the standing woman pulling her closer with her ankles. Regina let go of Emma's hand and tensed up trying to move backwards as much as she could but the blonde had strong legs and wasn't letting her leave. " _Emma"_ she warned.

" _Chill, if you want me to let you go just tell me"_ Emma responded with a friendly smile.

" _we can't do this"_ Regina was hesitant to relax into the embrace but when Emma wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her head onto chest she couldn't help but release the breath she was holding and with it along went all the tension in her body. Regina stepped forward pushing her body against the blondes completely, hugging her back and holding her head into her chest. The two of them just enjoying the feel of being in the other's arms. Emma became acutely aware the area between her legs was now pressed forcefully up against Regina's pelvis. Little did she know Regina was also thinking the same thing. She moved her hips slightly knowing Emma would feel it and heard her breathing hitch in response. Regina's arousal spiked, she wanted nothing more than to pull her pyjama pants down and make her moan loudly. She pulled back placing one hand on each of Emma's thighs, rubbing up and down from the knee to the hip, her thumbs on the inside of the girl's legs. Emma looked up into Regina's eyes seeing the same want reflected back at her, she put her hands on Regina's lower stomach curling her fingers so the tips were inside of her trouser waistline but still above the shirt that was tucked into them. She used the fabric to pull the woman closer to her again slowly moving to unbutton her pants. Regina's mind was reeling and she didn't realise what the teen was doing until Emma's hand was inside her pants and her fingers were pressing against her underwear covered core. The nurse grabbed her wrist freezing for a moment. She needed to stop this but she really, really didn't want to. She savoured the feeling for a few more seconds until she felt Emma's fingers moving. She had never been so aroused in her entire life so it took all of her willpower to pull the blonde's hand out and take a few steps backwards. " _we can't"_

 _"_ _I know, I'm sorry"_

 _"_ _don't apologise, it's my fault I should have stopped you earlier"_

Emma looked at the ground.

" _what did you want to ask me?"_

 _"_ _huh?"_

 _"_ _you told me you had something to ask me?"_

 _"_ _oh yeah, umm what do you wear when you sleep?"_ Emma blushed as she looked up through her lashes to watch Regina's reaction.

The brunette looked confused for a moment but stepped towards her patient, leant into her ear and whispered " _I sleep naked"_

She took one last glance at the look of pure shock and arousal on the blonde's face and walked out, making sure to sway her hips a little more than usual.

" _I hate you"_ Emma called after her but Regina could hear her smile in her voice.


	14. Chapter 14

**A few people messaged me saying there was a problem with the formatting of this chapter so sorry for the double upload. I thought it would be better to delete and reupload so you guys knew when I had fixed it. Thank you for letting me know! Keep leaving reviews, it makes me very very happy :)**

* * *

Regina was rostered for her break at 2 am, she texted Joe and told him to meet her there. It was a cold evening so she was wearing a thick grey pea coat over her silk blouse. She picked up her purse from the cupboard and got ready to leave.

* * *

Since Emma had been taken off of one to one observations she had had trouble sleeping. After getting used to falling asleep with someone sitting next to you, the sound of their breathing lulling you to sleep; the silence becomes unnerving. It was still dark outside, she knew this because she had recently started sleeping with her curtains open so that it was easier to wake up in the mornings. It's always easier to fall back asleep when the room is dark. She had been staring at the ceiling for almost two hours now pretending to be asleep whenever the nurses came to do her observations. She decided two hours was enough and got out of bed to ask someone to unlock the kitchen so she could get some water. She put her oversized jets hoodie on over her pyjama shirt and left her room.

* * *

Regina was about to let herself out of the ward when she heard one of the patient doors open. No-one was awake when she checked a minute or so ago. She turned around to investigate and saw Emma looking more tired than she had ever seen her. Her usually pale skin looked almost transparent in the dim lighting, dark circles had appeared around her eyes and her French braided hair had long since dried and was starting to loosen. " _Emma?"_ the nurse whispered approaching the young girl slowly so not to spook her in the dark.

" _hey"_ she replied with a small smile.

" _why are you up?"_ Regina put her hand on the girls lower back leading her away from the view of the office where all of the other nurses were currently eating snacks and chatting between writing their notes up.

" _I can't sleep. I haven't for a while. I came out to get some water"_ Emma explained savouring the feeling of the warm hand on her back as they walked further up the ward.

" _why can't you sleep?"_

" _I don't know, it's since I came off one to one. I guess it's because nobody is there anymore…"_

 _"do you want me to sit with you until you go to sleep?"_ Regina maintaining eye contact with the blonde to show she was being sincere.

" _you're going on your break though"_

 _"it can wait, let's get you some water and get you back to bed."_

Regina walked over and unlocked the kitchen for Emma and went into her bedroom with her coat and purse. She hung her coat over the bathroom door and quickly sent a text to Joe explaining the situation and that she would be there as soon as possible.

Emma walked in with two glasses of water and put them both on her bedside table. " _one is for you"_

 _"thank you Em"_

 _"em?"_

 _"sorry, do you not want me to call you that?"_

 _"no, I like it. You just… have never called me anything but Emma and Miss Swan before"_

 _"I'm not really a nickname type of person, but it just felt right"_

 _"so can I make a nickname for you?"_

 _"no"_

 _"well, you didn't like Reggie"_ Emma ignored her, pulling the comforter up as she lay on her side facing Regina propping her head up with her elbow " _what about Gina?"_

 _"no"_

 _"I like Gina"_

 _"I don't"_

 _"fine. I will think of something else tomorrow"_

 _"ok Emma. Now try and sleep"_

 _"can you lay with me?"_

Regina contemplated it for a while, she knew Emma was on 15 minute observations so someone would be coming in in about 10 minutes. But then again she could always just move before they come in. It was risky. It was too risky. She moved her chair closer to the bed and leant her upper body onto the bed whilst still sitting on the bed. She lay her arm across the bed so Emma could cuddle into it. The blonde turned away from Regina and leaned back into her. Regina used her free arm to pull the comforter up to her shoulders tucking her in. Emma was asleep within a few minutes and it wasn't until then that Regina realised her arm was stuck. She used her other hand to lift Emma's head up slowly and freed her arm laying her back down into the pillow as carefully as she could.

" _sleep well Hermosa"_ the nurse whispered into the blonde's hair before she quietly kissed her head, picked up her things and left.

* * *

The drive to the diner took longer than possible, she stayed under the speed limit for the majority of the journey but she wasn't sure why. She only drove slower if someone else was in the car and she had only been worried about crashing once and that was when Emma was in the car with her. Maybe now that she had someone she cared about she had a reason to drive safely.

She arrived at the diner half an hour late but when she arrived Joe was still there waiting for her. He looked happier than usual, the neon signage of the diner illuminating his face. His dark circles were less prominent, his shoulder length hair shinier and his facial hair neatly trimmed. Regina walked over and sat in front of him on the bench outside.

Joe's face lit up when he saw her " _hey girly"_

 _"hey, how are you?"_

 _"I am fantastic! Wendy phoned, I have an appointment with her tomorrow. Thank you so much for setting it up, Regina. You have no idea how much this means to me"_

 _"you're welcome Joe, you deserve it."_ Regina reached out and squeezed his forearm.

" _I don't know how to repay you"_

 _"you don't need to repay me. Your happiness is enough"_

" _you are amazing"_

 _"thank you"_ Regina blushed with a wide smile. She wasn't great with compliments. She never believed them but Joe was one of the most genuine people she had ever met. She couldn't help but believe him.

" _I'm going to grab a coffee, would you like one?"_ Regina asked.

" _Let me get them"_ Joe responded quickly, standing up letting Regina know there wasn't room for argument.

" _Cappuccino, no sugar please"_

" _no problem"_ Joe slid his cigarettes and lighter across to Regina on the table and went into the diner.

Regina picked up a cigarette and lit it holding it between her lips. She took a long pull, inhaling slowly as she closed her eyes. She wondered if Emma had managed to stay asleep, seeing the blonde looking so exhausted broke her heart and this was her last night shift so she wouldn't be able to stay with her when she fell asleep again and that hurt even more.

Joe came back with two take out cups of coffee and sat back down. " _this is my last night shift"_

 _"so no more 2 am coffee dates?"_ Joe jokes but his face dropped.

" _I'm afraid not, we will have to start having day time coffee dates"_

" _yeah? That sounds good. It would be nice to actually see what you look like in the sun light_ " he looked much happier now. Regina meant as much to him as he did to her. It's not often you connect to someone so deeply so quickly. Joe had become like a brother in a little over a fortnight.

The two spoke about Emma for a while. Regina explained about her parents and how the other patients went home for the weekend but Emma hadn't left the ward since she arrived 3 months ago and her parents hadn't visited since her mother had upset Emma. The girl tried to stay positive but Regina is worried that there will come a day when all the other patients are on home leave and Emma is on the ward alone. She shared her concerns with Joe until he started smiling.

" _what?"_ Regina raised one eyebrow

" _I have an idea"_

 _"and what's that?"_

 _"you can add people to the visitation lists right?"_

" _where are you going with this?"_

 _"well you could add me to her list, say I'm her uncle or something and on your days off I could pick her up and drive her to your house. That way she gets to leave the hospital and you two get to spend time together"_

" _I'm not sure us being alone at my house is a good idea, Joe_ "

Regina was wary about the whole idea but if she was honest with herself the likelihood they would get caught was slim, however having Emma at her house, the two of them being alone just wasn't a good idea.

" _then I could drop her somewhere and you could meet us there. You could go to lunch or something. Somewhere public but far away from the hospital. I mean it is just an idea but I would be more than willing to help you out especially after what you did for me"_

Regina didn't respond, she was deep in thought.

" _Emma seems like a decent kid, she deserves to have someone like you in her life."_ He added.

 _"but my feeling for her are more than simply caring for a troubled kid"_

 _"I know, I know. But it's not like she is 14. She is 17 and way more mature than most kids her age from what I hear. In less than a year she will be 18 and then you won't have to worry anymore. I don't see a problem with caring for her and loving her now. It's not illegal unless you sleep with her"_

 _"This plan is illegal, if we get caught we could go to prison and you could lose Elizabeth for good"_

 _"so we better not get caught"_ Joe said with a cheeky smile that reminded Regina of Emma. Maybe this would work.

* * *

When Regina got back to the hospital it was just around half past 4 in the morning. Her shift ended at 8. Her mind was reeling with Joe's plan. She would be able to see Emma without the constant risk of being walked in on and Emma would be able to spent time outside of the hospital. The only chance they would get caught is if someone saw them in public or if anyone mentioned an 'uncle Joe' to either of Emma's parents. But Regina had a plan for that too should the need arise. They would just need to make sure no one they knew saw them if they went out so they would have to travel reasonable far away. She put her coat and purse back into the cupboard and sat down in the office with the other nurses. Just as she sat down Robin stood up " _I'm gonna check on the kids and then I'm going on my break."_

Regina just nodded and turned in her chair towards the computer unlocking it with her password 'apple87'. She had typed up her notes from the evening before she left for her patients. Every shift each nurse was given a small group of patients they were in charge of the notes for. Regina had Emma, Belle, Kathryn and Kris. She debated writing that Emma had woken up for a drink but she was awake for such a small amount of time it seemed futile but then again she had nothing else to do. Soon she was the only one in the office as Olivia went to check on the kids that were on half an hour and hourly obs, usually that would be the job of 2 people however only 3 of the patients weren't on 15 minutes, so it was a small job. Regina was given the 15-minute observation sheets from Robin when he left. She left the office grabbing the clip board with the sheets on her way past. She walked to the other side of the ward thinking if she started at the other end she would see Emma last, and that way she could spend longer in there without it effecting the other patient observation sheets. Tim was sitting outside Anna's door on her one to one tapping his pen against his leg with boredom. The sound reverberated through the ward but not loud enough to wake anyone up. All of Regina's patients were fast asleep, some snoring and some as quiet as a mouse. Ruby had somehow kicked the comforter off of her during her sleep and her right arm and leg were hanging off the side of her bed. Regina thought about moving her and covering her up again but decided against it as waking her up had proven to be eventful in the past. She definitely wasn't a morning person and many a nurse had a curse word or 6 thrown their way. There was even an occasion with a pillow.

At night the staff usually propped the bedroom doors open with pillows or chairs so that the opening and closing didn't disturb the patients so luckily she didn't need to close Ruby's door when she left. She got to Emma's door which was propped open with a cushion and sneakily kicked the pillow and closed the door behind her. She could wait until her next day shift but that wasn't for another 4 days and she had hoped she could see Emma before then so she woke the blonde up.

 _"emma wake up"_ Regina's voice was no higher than a whisper. She leant into the blonde's head so she would hear.

" _mhhh"_

 _"emma"_

 _"why"_

 _"I need to talk to you"_

 _"can it wait until I'm not.. you know, asleep?"_

" _no, it has to be now. You will want to hear this. I have a plan"_

 _"is it a plan for me to go back to sleep"_

 _"oh do stop. The sooner you wake up the sooner you can go back to sleep"_

Emma slowly turned towards Regina, sat up and looked her in the eye

" _what's this super important plan then"_

Regina explained Joe's plan in a low whisper whilst Emma's face stayed emotionless. When Regina got to the part where they could go out together she seemed to wake up considerably and sat up in her bed. When Regina finished the two sat in silence for a moment until Emma broke the silence " _You would really go to all of that trouble for me?"_

 _"it's no trouble Emma"_

 _"it is trouble. You could get into a lot of it"_

 _"like I said, we would need to go reasonably far away from here so no one would see us. I think this could work"_ Regina smiled warmly to try and reduce Emma's anxiety not really understanding why she was anxious.

" _you want to do this… for me?"_ Emma looked up into Regina's eyes showing her vulnerability fully for the first time.

" _oh Emma, I would do anything for you. Anything."_ Regina engulfed the girl in the biggest and tightest hug she could manage. Emma just wrapped her arms around her and tried to pull her in further and hold her there forever. " _thank you"_ Regina wasn't even sure she heard correctly as it had been said so quietly. She pulled back and looked straight into Emma's watery green eyes " _anything."_

When Emma had fallen back to sleep in Regina's arms with a wide grin on her face, Regina went back to the office to add 'Uncle Joe' to her family list. He was going to come and visit that afternoon so the staff could meet him and then the next day he was going to take her 'to dinner'. Regina was going to meet them at a small Italian restaurant about 25 miles away from the hospital, she had booked a table in the furthest corner from the door. Joe was going to leave the two of them to eat and then after a text from Regina he would return to drive Emma back to the hospital. It was fool proof.

* * *

Emma and Joe got on like a house on fire. They had the same sense of humour and strangely the same mannerisms. The staff had no problem believing the two were related. He stayed for only about an hour but when it was time for him to leave both were secretly quite upset. " _I will see you tomorrow chick"_

 _"ok Uncle Joe, drive safe"_

 _"love you"_ he said loud enough for the nurses could hear in the office whilst pulling Emma into a one arm hug.

Emma tensed up but forced herself to hug him back with a smile " _you too"_

She didn't even say that to her parents so it felt wrong and extremely uncomfortable.

* * *

Regina called Joe that night to ask how it went. " _please tell me it went ok?"_

 _"It went perfectly doll, I understand why you like her so much, she is a little gem!"_

 _"she really is"_ Regina couldn't help but smile at his comment

 _"ok so tomorrow I pick her up at 4:30 and I have to drop her back before 8?"_

 _"yes, I will text you when you need to come and get her from the restaurant"_

 _"ok hun, sounds like a plan"_

 _"Joe?"_

 _"yeah?"_

 _"thank you"_

 _"not a problem"_


	15. Chapter 15

Emma spent over an hour getting ready to go out, she even got Ruby to do her make up. Her stomach felt like it was housing not just a few but a few hundred butterflies, all bouncing off of each other. She hadn't left the hospital other than a handful of outings to the cinema in over 3 months and she was going to see Regina. The latter being the main reason for the butterfly party. She decided on wearing her cream sweater knowing Regina liked it and light blue skinny jeans with knee high brown boots. She curled her hair under the watchful eye of Milah and even though the curls were now slowly dropping out it looked beautifully effortless.

Joe was due to arrive in less that 10 minutes and Emma had been pacing her room for the last 20. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. It wasn't like this was a date, it was just a friend doing something nice for her… wasn't it? A knock on the door halted her pacing " _come in"_.

Milah walked through the door followed by Joe. Yesterday he had come wearing blue jeans that were a size too big with a white v neck t-shirt and a black leather jacket. Today he was wearing tailored black trousers, a blue button up shirt and a brown tweed blazer with matching brown shoes. He didn't seem like the person to own smart shoes.

" _am I underdressed or are you overdressed?"_ Emma joked feeling a sudden wave of nausea wash over her. If Joe was dressed like that, where had he told the staff they were going and where was she actually going.

" _neither, you look great Em!"_ Joe exclaimed with a wide smile as they waited for Milah to leave the room. She was still watching the interaction as if she was waiting for something.

" _I'm getting changed"_ Emma turned around to face her wardrobe thinking about whether darker jeans would look smarter. Joe came to stand behind her putting his large hands on her shoulders " _you don't need to get changed. If anything I probably need to. You look perfect"_ He turned her around " _now relax, your acting as if you have never been to dinner before"._

Emma remained silent but smiled. " _ok, so where are we going?"_

He walked towards the door again, Milah moving to open the door for them " _it's a surprise"_.

The drive to the diner was mostly filled with silence apart from Joe trying to make jokes to relax the blonde as much as he could. " _why are you so stressed, doll?"_

 _"_ _I'm not entirely sure"_ she answered honestly.

He pulled his bright yellow bug up onto a non-descript street.

" _we're here. Regina should be inside already. She got here a little early. If I'm honest with you… I think she is just as nervous as you are, chick"_

Emma relaxed a little at this. At least she wasn't the only one.

The two of them got out of the car and Joe lead them to a black metal staircase descending into an alleyway with an unlabelled brown door.

" _where are we?_ "

" _This is the restaurant"_

 _"_ _no. This is where horror movies are set, Joe!"_

He chuckled and pressed the buzzer beside the door as Regina had instructed him to do in a very detailed text message that morning.

" _hello."_ a voice came from inside of the buzzer.

" _Miss Swan for Miss Mills"_ Joe spoke back.

The door unlocked and Joe whispered " _they think I am your chauffeur"_

 _"_ _you kind of are"_ Emma replied as they walked through the doorway and came to another staircase. " _This is a joke right?"_ Emma stopped walking.

" _not a joke, just a really expensive, hard to get into restaurant"_

 _"_ _I feel like I'm in one of them Halloween mazes but in the daytime"_

Joe didn't respond but held his hand out of Emma to take and lead her down the stone stairs. The next door they came to was opened for them well before they even got to it.

" _Welcome, Miss Swan."_ The young looking guy said as he escorted them to the table. Emma had expected Regina to be sitting there waiting but instead she was nowhere to be seen.

" _Miss Mills is currently speaking with the head chef; she won't be a moment"_

Emma assumed Regina must know the chef or maybe the owner.

The waiter pulled out a chair for Emma. Joe sat opposite pulling out his own chair, clearly unnerving the waiter. She looked around the small room. The walls and floor were made of stone bricks, similar to an old English castle. The tables were all round and covered in a deep red sheet with a lot of cutlery and so many wine glasses, she had no idea what they were all for. The chairs had a red seat with a black back, the metal swirling into an intricate pattern and on the far wall behind her, there was an archway in the middle like a window without glass. She squinted in the warmly lit room and saw that through the hole was the kitchen. The staff seemed busy cleaning the appliances and it was only then that she realised there was no one else in the restaurant.

" _Joe, why are we the only ones here?"_ the teen hissed across the table.

 _"_ _Regina may have pulled some strings and got the restaurant to open a few hours earlier than usual"_

 _"_ _she knows the staff?"_

 _"_ _something like that"_ Joe didn't elaborate and Emma didn't ask any more questions.

Regina finished explaining the details of her order to the chef, she was paying them a lot of money to open early and keep their mouth shut so it was the least they could do to alter the menu ever so slightly for her. She walked out of the kitchen, one of the young waiters was already holding the door open for her. She thanked him with a nod and strutted towards the table. She had chosen one close enough to the kitchen so the food wouldn't be cold before it reached them and far enough away from the door that if anyone did happen to find themselves down there, however, unlikely that would be, they were away from their view.

She reached the table and stood behind Emma noting that she was still facing away from here so she mustn't have heard her heels on the stone floor, therefore, must be pretty deep in thought. The young girl was actually wondering why all of the staff were watching the table holding their breaths, and why the adults hadn't noticed. Joe stood up and held the chair away from the table and it was only then that Emma realised Regina had arrived. She looked up and saw the older woman. Regina was wearing a mid-length dark red dress, almost the same shade as the table cloths. Emma wasn't sure if that was planned or not. Her hair was straight apart from the ends which curled just above her collar bone and she was wearing the most beautiful necklace Emma had ever seen. It was simple, a delicate gold chain with a tiny little star covered in even tinier diamonds, but it looked amazing against the tanned expanse of Regina's chest. She was wearing black heels that matched a thin belt around her waist and the clutch bag she was holding. Emma had never seen someone so breathtakingly perfect before.

" _Hello, Emma"_ Regina spoke quietly as she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder squeezing slightly.

" _hey"_ Emma responded smiling nervously.

Regina sat down in the seat opposite and Joe pushed the chair in for her. " _Thank you, Joe. I will text you when we are done"_ He winked cheekily and left the restaurant, the same waiter ready to open the door for him when he got there looking slightly relieved, as were the others.

Emma sat and watched him leave whilst Regina was watching her.

" _everything okay?"_ Regina asked.

" _of course"_

" _you look beautiful Emma"_ She reached across the table to hold the young girl's hand but froze before she got there. Emma looked at their hands, now inches apart from the others and moved the rest of the distance picking up Regina's hand, running her thumb in circles on her skin.

" _you do too"_ Emma's pale cheeks had grown a pink colour.

" _I have already ordered but I wasn't sure what you would want. They will cook you anything you want"_

 _"_ _what do you mean?"_

 _"_ _I mean that you don't need to get something from the menu if you don't want to."_

 _"_ _why?"_ Emma had no clue why the staff here would do that.

" _I may have paid them extra to make sure you could have anything you wanted. Stop worrying about it, what food are you craving right now?"_

 _"_ _anything?"_

 _"_ _anything at all, dear"_

The waiter came to take Emma's order and to fill up their glasses with water. Emma relayed her order to the waiter who held back a smile. Regina definitely didn't hold back and started chuckling and was still laughing until well after the waiter left. " _really Emma?"_

 _"_ _you said anything"_ Emma grinned with a cheeky spark in her eye.

 _"_ _you really are an enigma"_

 _"_ _how so"_ the blonde placed her chin on her hand looking straight into Regina's eyes _._

 _"_ _Sometimes you do things that don't make sense to me"_

 _"_ _is that not the same with anyone?"_

 _"_ _no. I'm reasonably good at reading people. just not you"_

 _"_ _I can read you pretty well"_

Regina nodded with a small smile, she wasn't sure how she felt about someone being able to see through her practised exterior.

" _stop worrying"_ Emma added which made the older woman look up into green eyes once more. " _you were using your fake smile, the one you use around the staff at the ward"_ she explained.

" _you are very observant"_ Regina noted tilting her head sideways as if studying the other woman.

" _I guess I had to be at home, like with my mum and stuff"_ Emma spoke and then really wished she hadn't.

" _we don't need to talk about it, not until you're ready"_

 _"_ _thank you"_ Emma smiled and reached for Regina's hand once more. They two of them fell into conversation about Regina's life, she had never felt comfortable talking about it inside the hospital with ears everywhere but now, in the corner of an empty restaurant where the staff had been told to stay away unless they were bringing something or had been called over, she felt it was the right time to open up the blonde. After about 20 minutes a waiter waltzed over to the table with plates balanced on his forearms. He placed down Regina's special order lasagne with added chilli and her side salad. Then he got to Emma's food, the meal that they would joke about in the kitchen for years to come. Carbonara with chicken nuggets and waffle fries… Regina started laughing again but secretly loved how much Emma loved food. Regina couldn't wait to cook for her one day. If that could ever happen. Before the waiter left Regina asked Emma if it was okay for her to order a glass of wine. She didn't want to drink around her if she was uncomfortable with it.

" _of course"_ Emma responded already shovelling food into her mouth.

She ordered an expensive red wine and added a soda onto the order for Emma.

They ate in relative silence, Regina eating just over half of her meal and Emma inhaling all of hers.

" _would you want to do this again?"_ Regina asked quietly as she watched Emma eating chicken nuggets with a silver knife and fork… it was definitely something she hadn't seen before.

" _Would you?"_ Emma responded defensively.

" _of course, I love spending time with you"_

 _"_ _I do too"_ the blonde smiled widely putting her cutlery down and sipping her soda.

Regina sat and wondered, she had an idea but she knew deep down it was a bad one.

" _what are you thinking?"_ Emma asked between sips.

" _what about next time I cook for us?"_

 _"_ _you can cook?"_

 _"_ _yes, I can cook very well actually"_

 _"_ _hey, self-praise is no praise… so I will have to sample your cooking"_

 _"_ _who made you the judge?"_ Regina quipped with a smirk.

" _umm.. my stomach"_ Emma giggled as Regina took a drink from her glass, the expensive red wine running smoothly down her throat and without even thinking let out a sound of approval that sounded a lot like a moan to Emma.

" _good wine?"_ She chuckled and Regina followed suit.

"It is _one of my favourites"_

 _"_ _can I try it?"_ Emma looked from the glass to Regina. The older woman watching her carefully not wanting to say anything that could upset her, the topic of her mother floating above them.

 _"_ _if you want to"_ She smiled and slid the glass across the table. Emma took a small sip and immediately winced. " _Regina that is disgusting"_

 _"_ _not a red wine fan?"_ she chuckled.

 _"_ _I guess not"_

 _"_ _have you drunk alcohol before?"_

 _"_ _that depends, are you going to tell me off if I have?"_

 _"_ _of course not"_

 _"_ _I have had vodka and scotch before"_

 _"_ _I'm not a huge fan of spirits, an aged whisky can be nice. When I cook for you, you can try some of my cider"_

 _"_ _your cider?"_

 _"_ _yes, dear. I brew my own apple cider"_

 _"_ _well, aren't you a jack of all trades! that sounds delicious"_

 _"_ _it is"_

" _wait…"_ the blonde was staring at Regina with narrowed eyes.

 _"_ _what"_ Regina looked at Emma with concern flooding her face.

" _where would_ _you be cooking for me?"_

 _"_ _well, my kitchen is at my house… but if you had a different kitchen in mind?"_ Regina joked trying to loosen her own anxieties.

" _you want me to come to your house?"_ Emma's insecurity was breaking through her tough exterior.

 _"_ _the real question is; do you want to come to my house?"_

Emma didn't respond straight away, she didn't want to put herself out there and say she wanted to just to be rejected, but when she saw the genuinely and hope in Regina's eyes she knew that she wouldn't be hurt.

 _"_ _I would love to"_ Emma smiled the most beautiful smile Regina had ever seen.

After Emma had refused dessert and received one anyway it came time for Regina to text Joe and she wasn't happy about it.

 _"_ _I wish I could just take you home with me_ " The wine lessening her inhibitions ever so slightly as they stood up from the table.

" _let's do it. Let's just run away_ " Emma said with seriousness turning to face the older woman.

" _that is quite possibly the worst idea I have ever heard, however, I am tempted, my dear_ "

" _when are you working next_?" Regina was leading Emma towards the door with a hand steady against the small of her back.

" _not for another 3 days"_

 _"_ _ughh"_

 _"_ _I know_ "

The waiter held the door open for them " _Thank you Oliver_ "

" _You know him?"_ Emma whispered turning her head.

" _I have frequented the restaurant, yes"_ Regina responded nonchalantly _._

 _"_ _they look scared of you"_

 _"_ _they probably are"_

 _"_ _why?"_ Emma was intrigued at what the brunette could have possibly done to upset all of the staff at the restaurant.

" _I'm a scary person_ "

" _You are probably the least scary person I know Regina_." The blonde vaguely remembered their hospital trip and how she had shouted at the rude doctor. It made her wonder if Regina's 'scary' streaks were always connected to protecting her or whether she just lost her temper; however, she had never lost her temper with Emma herself so she couldn't really know if she was scary or not.

" _You are probably the only person, who thinks that_ " Regina responded quietly noticing Emma's facial expression change from honest to deep in thought.

 _"_ _what about Joe?"_

 _"_ _Joe has definitely seen my dark side these past few days. He came with me to make the booking here and with so much at stake I may have been a little… forceful"_

Emma responded by stopping and turning to face Regina. Her face showing no emotion but Emma could tell that something wasn't right. They stopped at the top of the staircase still inside the door, the lights shining off of Regina's necklace.

" _your necklace is beautiful"_ the blonde decided to change the subject.

 _"_ _thank you, dear"_

 _"_ _can I hug you?"_

 _"_ _you don't need to ask"_ Regina pulled Emma into her, holding her close as if she may never see her again. Emma snuggled her head into the brunette's neck more comfortably than usual now she was wearing heels. The sound of Regina's phone broke them apart before either of them wanted to.

" _Joe is outside"_

 _"_ _thank you for today"_

 _"_ _no, Emma. Thank you"_

 _"_ _why? I didn't do anything"_

 _"_ _you don't ever need to do anything for me to be grateful. I'm glad I got to spend some time with you properly for the first time"_ Regina's voice was sounding strained like she was trying to stop herself from getting upset.

 _"_ _Hey! What's wrong?"_ Emma reached up placing her hand on Regina's cheek and stroked the skin by her cheekbone with her thumb.

" _I just don't want you to leave"_

 _"_ _3 days, it's just 3 days"_

 _"_ _I know. I'm still going to miss you"_

 _"_ _I already miss you"_ Emma's cheeks blushed a light pink noticing how soppy she was being. " _turn around"_

Emma did as she was told and Regina reached behind her neck and undid her necklace then

fastened the necklace around the pale neck in front of her only having to wrestle with the blonde hair a little.

" _I want you to have this"_

 _"_ _are you sure?_ " the blonde reached up holding the star between her fingertips, it was a little shorter than her cross necklace and they looked good together.

" _completely, now you have a part of me with you all the time"_

 _"_ _thank you"_ Emma's face was the picture of pure joy.

 _"_ _do you want me to phone you tomorrow?"_

 _"_ _that would be awesome"_ Her cheeks were hurting from smiling. She had never felt this happy, this loved.

" _we should go; Joe will be getting worried_ "

Emma grabbed hold of Regina's hand one more time and pulling it up to her face and pressing her lips to the back of it before letting it go " _yeah, better not piss of uncle Joe"._


	16. Chapter 16

AN- This chapter is not rated M ( _apart from for language_ ) but it's not particularly PG either so enjoy :)

Warning - Scene of slight sexual nature with a minor.

* * *

Chapter 16 – Friday 25th December 2009

Regina woke up at 6am on Christmas day and immediately felt alone. She would give everything she had to see Emma today. Her parents were visiting today but their visits never went well. If she could have Emma here she would try and make the day perfect for her. She deserved it.

After having lunch with her mother and Zelena and spending a few hours pretending she enjoyed their company Regina excused herself with the excuse of work.

" _It is Christmas Regina, you can take the day off"_ Zelena complained.

 _"If everyone had that mindset there would be no one to look after the kids"_

 _"Yes. The Kids. Remember that Regina. They are all children."_ Cora spoke quietly as she gripped her daughter's shoulder like a vice. It took everything in her not to react but Regina walked away, got into her car and felt like she could finally breathe again.

* * *

Once she arrived home it was around 4pm and visiting times were over which meant she could phone Emma.

Marian answered the phone and luckily didn't recognise the disguised voice as her colleague's.

 _"Merry Christmas, Dear"_

 _"Merry Christmas to you"_

 _"how was your day with your parents?"_

 _"I missed you"_ Emma deflected.

 _"that bad?"_

 _"Isn't it always"_

 _"Emma?"_

 _"It was fine. I'm fine, it was better than the last visit. How was your day with your family?"_

 _"I missed you too"_

 _"that bad huh?"_ the teen copied.

 _"two more days Emma. Only two more days"_

 _"I will be counting down the hours"_

 _"What about when you come round we do a mini Christmas together? That way I can cook for you and give you your gift"_

 _"you got me a gift?"_

 _"of course my dear. It's Christmas"_

 _"I can't get you anything, though"_

 _"your presence is enough"_

 _"that sounds perfect. How soon can we do this?"_

 _"well I will text Joe now and find out but if I could hazard a guess I could say the 29_ _th_ _? I'm working the 27_ _th_ _and 28_ _th_ _so that would be the soonest"_

 _"ok Ri"_

 _"Emma"_ Regina warned.

 _"I can't think of anything else"_

 _"let's keep it that way"_

* * *

\- _2 days later -_

" _Can you just fuck off"_ Emma sat on the floor in her room, cross legged staring at the ground. Her knees bouncing up and down but other than that she was entirely still. Long blonde hair cloaking her face like curtains.

 _"Emma, what is going on?"_ Robin stood just inside the doorway to the girl's room.

 _"I don't want to talk about it right now"_

 _"I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong"_

" _who said I wanted your help?"_ It had been 2 days since her phone call with Regina and she had just started her shift but was stuck in handover for another ten minutes. Not that Emma cared right now, she just wanted to be alone. Anxiety attacks were common for her but she hadn't had one this bad since before she was admitted to hospital. Her mind was both full and empty at the same time.

" _please just go"_ Emma tried to sound as calm as possible knowing that if she shouted that Robin wouldn't leave. Luckily it worked and Robin decided to give her some space. " _I will be checking on you more often"_ He took one last look at the girl they all thought was well on her way to recovery.

Finally alone, Emma realised that sitting was becoming uncomfortable as her body filled with anxious energy and she had the sudden urge to tidy her room. She started by straightening her desk chair and then moved to the notebooks and pens on the surface making sure they were all perfectly parallel. Somehow having control over this was helping her calm down dramatically until Regina rushed into the room without knocking, clearly having spoken to Robin post-handover.

" _fuck off!"_ Emma shouted slamming her hands onto the surface of the desk.

" _excuse me"_ Regina had never been spoken to like that in her life, disdain dripping from her voice. Emma turned, slightly surprised that it wasn't Robin checking on her.

" _can you just get out?"_ Emma spoke a little calmer hoping it had the same effect it had on Robin.

" _I will be going nowhere until you explain to me why you are acting like this"_

 _"then I will go"_ Emma tried to storm past the nurse but was halted by an arm flying in front of her, blocking her exit.

" _move"_ Emma growled.

" _absolutely not, and you can stop talking to me like that this instant. What did I do to deserve this?"_

 _"what did I do to deserve any of this Regina!"_

Regina reached out and gently placed her hands on Emma's shoulders, looking at her with concern flooding her facial features.

" _don't touch me"_ Emma was on self-destruct, she pushed Regina's arms off of her and smashed her fist straight into the wall beside her damaging nothing but her own knuckles.

 _"_ _Emma Swan!"_ Regina fought the instinct to grab her around her waist and hug her until she calmed down realising that might not be the best option at this juncture.

" _I can't do this right now. Can I just be alone?"_ the blonde spoke through gritted teeth.

" _I'm sorry but I am going nowhere when you are like this"_

 _"_ _please"_ Emma pleaded but her voice was laced with anger threatening to come out any second. Regina crossed her arms across her chest " _let me help,_ _dear"_ her voice full of care.

" _I don't want your help; it's not like you're going to be around when I get out, so why the fuck are you acting like you care"_

 _"because I do care"_ Regina shouted back.

Emma didn't respond and turned around to go back to straightening the things on her desk. After a few moments, Regina sat on the edge of the bed watching the girl moving her things with concentrated precision.

Almost ten minutes passed, Emma had straightened everything in her room, twice including the hangers in her wardrobe. She momentarily took out the note from her hoodie pocket running her finger over the handwriting.

" _what is that?"_ Regina asked standing up to walk over in case it was something Emma shouldn't have.

" _the note you pinned to my sweater"_ she held it out to the older woman.

" _you kept it?"_ Regina didn't take it, confident that it was safe for the girl to have.

Emma nodded and put it back in the pocket.

" _do you want to talk now?"_

 _"I'm scared"_

Regina sat on the chair allowing Emma to sit on her bed but the teen just paced her room backwards and forwards. Backwards and forwards.

" _what are you scared of? Leaving here?"_

" _kinda"_

 _"kinda?"_ Regina repeated.

" _I was always alone back home. I had no-one. But now I'm here and I am surrounded by people that care about me and make me laugh and even just simple things like talking to me. I don't have any of that on the outside. I just really, really don't want to go back to that"_

Emma was holding it together, the fire in her chest growing by the second but she really didn't want to cry. Not now. It was going fine until she looked over at Regina. The strongest woman she knew. The woman who had been through so much yet still stood to tell the tale. The most beautiful woman she had ever met. Sobbing.

Emma's resolve disintegrated and her own tears started falling. Automatically she reached inside of her t-shirt and grabbed the tiny star of Regina's necklace just holding it between her thumb and index finger. It had become a habit in the past 3 days whenever she felt sad or missed Regina and the older woman didn't miss it. " _you're still wearing it"_ she whispered.

 _"of course"_

 _"Come here?"_

Emma walked over to Regina and before she could do anything the older woman pulled the blonde onto her lap and wrapped her long arms around her tightly. " _you won't ever be alone again Emma. I promise you that. I will go to the ends of the earth to make sure you never feel that way again."_

Emma pulled her legs up and curled into the brunette's embrace feeling warm for the first time in days.

* * *

The therapy room was blue. Extremely blue. The walls were an off-white, the carpet a muted grey-blue and all of the furniture were the same shade of blue. Emma sat on one of the couches, knees up to her chest pulling at a stray thread on the armrest. Dr Hopper sat in an armchair opposite his patient, legs crossed with a clipboard balancing precariously on his right knee. The winter sun was shining through the large windows and flooding the room in a warm glow. They sat in silence for a while with only the low humming of the floor heater in the air.

" _so I hear your uncle has been visiting recently Emma. How is that going?"_ Dr Hopper asked breaking the silence.

" _good"_ Emma replied bluntly desperately wanting to leave. She put her feet on the ground and leant forward onto them, chin into her hands looking at the coffee table in front of her. Its only purpose to hold a box of Kleenex.

 _"he is visiting more than your parents, though, how does that make you feel?"_

 _"my parents don't visit full stop. So being able to go out is good. Uncle Joe is super nice"_

" _Which side of the family is he on?"_

"huh?" Emma stalled.

" _Is Joe your mum or your dad's brother?"_

 _"My dad's. I haven't been sleeping well recently"_ the teen changed the subject.

" _Would you like me to_ _get Dr Whale_ _to prescribe you something to help?"_

 _"yes please."_ Hopper wrote on his clipboard " _are you having any problems with your medication?"_

" _Nah, I'm good"_

 _"I heard that you had an anxiety attack this morning? Do you want to tell me about it?"_

 _"not really doc. I'm fine now, must have been the lack of sleep"_

 _"ok Emma, unless there is anything else you wish to discuss I will let you get back to your friends and I will see you next week"_

The second Emma got back onto the ward Regina gestured for her to join her in the kitchen. She jogged past the patients sitting on the sofas in the corridor and shut the door behind her. The girls looked at each other confused " _why'd she shut the door?"_ Belle asked the group.

" _I have no idea"_ Ruby responded with a furrowed brow.

" _maybe the rumours are true?"_

 _"or Emma wanted to talk privately. Stop gossiping about her"_ Ella jumped in before going to her room and slamming the door behind her.

In the kitchen, Regina was making a round of coffees for the staff " _how was therapy sweetheart"_ she spoke not looking towards the girl as she spooned sugars into some of the mugs.

" _It was alright, is anyone asks Joe is my dad's brother. Hopper was asking questions but I changed the subject. I'm getting sleeping meds"_ Emma opened the fridge and grabbed an apple and took a large, loud bite from it. Regina turned to look " _I didn't know you liked apples"_

 _"It never really came up in conversation?"_ Emma chuckled taking another bite.

" _I have an apple tree at home, it's what I use for my cider. They are the best apples you will ever eat"_ Regina said with a smirk.

" _Well I can't wait to try your delicious fruit"_ Emma responded with a sly grin placing the apple on the counter and slid in between Regina and the kitchen counter.

" _Emma Swan!"_ Regina gasped but leant in so their chests were the only parts of their bodies not touching " _you have a filthy mouth, dear"_

 _"_ _you've heard nothing yet"_ Emma whispered into the nurse's ear. Regina grabbed Emma's hips pulling them in closer, her nails pressing into the girl's exposed midriff where her shirt had ridden up. " _Emma…"_ Regina moans quietly as the teen slowly places kisses down her jaw and neck. Emma grips the older woman and flips them so fast Regina didn't even realise what was happening. " _Emma"_ it was more of a warning this time but her arousal was evident in her voice.

" _it's ok not to be in control sometimes Regina"_ she states as she continues her journey down the tanned throat. Regina, still holding onto Emma's hips, crushed their bodies together before reaching to lift the blonde's chin to look at her. " _Kiss me"_

" _are you sure?"_ Emma looked up and saw a face full of uncertainty.

" _no, but if you don't…"_ and before she could finish her sentence Emma was kissing her with more passion than she had ever experience in her 24 years. They weren't two people anymore, they were one. One being. Entirely in sync. Regina deepened the kiss, parting her lips for the younger girl. They kissed like if they parted they would die, and if you were to ask either of them they would have said that was true. It was like the other held the only oxygen in the room. Regina's hands stayed gripping Emma's hips tightly, holding her body against her own whilst Emma's hands roamed the body before her. She unbuttoned Regina's shirt button by button before running her hands around her waist, caressing the smooth skin of her stomach and back before reaching up to manoeuvre up and into Regina's black bra to massage her breasts. The older woman moaned into the blonde's mouth digging her nails into Emma's skin and hesitantly pulling her away. Emma looked up into brown eyes questioningly. " _we have to stop"_

 _"_ _why?"_ Emma leant forward and captured smudged red lips again before they were pulled away from her once more.

" _not now, not here"_ Regina whispered before buttoning her shirt back up.

" _but not never?"_

 _"_ _not... never"_ Regina repeated ignoring the grammatic inaccuracy wiping around her lips to rid it of the lipstick that had smeared around her mouth before doing for same for Emma.

Emma kissed Regina on the cheek before leaving her to finish making the coffees they had both forgotten almost walking into Ruby on her way to her bedroom.

" _everything ok?"_

 _"yep, just talking about therapy"_ Emma responded trying to decipher whether Ruby heard anything or not.

" _dinner's in 15"_ Emma nodded in response and walked away ignoring the strange look Ruby was giving her.


	17. Chapter 17

The 29th came around quickly. The days with Regina always seemed to fly by, and now Emma was going round for dinner. She spent well over an hour deciding what to wear and still wasn't dressed in anything but underwear when Joe came to pick her up.

" _Woah Emma, a heads-up would have been nice!"_ Joe called from the doorway as he covered his eyes and moved from foot to foot awkwardly. Emma pulled her oversized Jets hoodie on to cover up.

" _you can look now. I need help_ " Emma responded without turning away from the wardrobe.

" _well, you're in the best place for it doll_ " He joked walking over " _Jeans and a shirt."_

 _"_ _what jeans, what shirt?"_ Emma was getting more stressed by the second. Joe pulled out a pair of navy blue jeans and a thin, white, button down shirt " _these."_

" _you can see my bra through that shirt_ " Emma took the jeans and put them on as Joe looked through her wardrobe once more before pausing.

" _you say that like it's a bad thing?"_

* * *

Regina's house was like something from a movie. It had so many windows that Emma couldn't count. Emma and Joe walked up the long path up to the giant white front door. She stepped back and looked up at the towering pillars holding a balcony on the first floor. The door opened wide, and Regina stood wearing what the blonde now referred to as her "signature look". A tightly fitted knee length purple dress with matching heels.

" _I will be in your office Reggie_ " Joe walked past and into the depths of the house

" _Don't break anything_ " Regina called back.

" _Reggie_?" Emma asked with a smirk.

" _He is stronger than me. If I could pin him down… I would_ " Regina stepped to the side " _come in dear_."

Emma walked into the house, her converse meeting the smooth white marble of the reception area. The staircase was also marble with a black, swirling metal handrail and from the ceiling came a large, sparkling diamond chandelier. The place looked like something from a fairytale. Regina noticed the girls look of awe " _Emma_ " she tried, but she was completely in shock. Regina smiled and leant in to whisper " _if you like this you should see my bedroom",_ and Emma sprung out of her daydream.

" _your house is beautiful"_ Emma smiled.

" _you are beautiful"_ Regina looked from green eyes down to the visible white lace bra through her shirt and finally to the tight fitted jeans covering pale legs that were once wrapped around her waist.

" _can I have a hug_?" Emma asked quietly feeling totally out of place standing in the grand entrance hall of Regina's home.

" _I've told you before; you don't need to ask_ " Regina opened her arms and Emma stepped into them.

" _keep it PG ladies_ " Joe joked from the doorway to Regina's office holding an Xbox remote.

" _You have an Xbox?!"_ Emma exclaimed looking from Joe's hands to Regina.

" _It's his; I got it for him so he would have something to do when he came round if I was busy."_

 _"_ _you come round often?"_ Emma asked, slightly jealous.

" _He won't leave most of the time"_ Regina was still holding Emma's hips against her own.

" _you love me being here_ " Joe smirked putting the Xbox controller down on a table.

" _well, I don't hate it"_ Regina kissed the top of Emma's head and reached for her hand _"Joe is staying for dinner, is that okay Emma?"_

 _"_ _of course! Joe's need love too_ " Emma giggled and winked at her pseudo-uncle.

* * *

The three of them sat in constant conversation eating the most delicious lasagne Emma has ever eaten with a side of homemade chicken nuggets that had made her smile so wide Regina thought her heart would burst.

" _Cider_?" Regina called behind her as she washed the dishes listening to her two favourite people looking through pictures on Joe's phone. " _yes please_ " they said in unison before the three of them laughed. It was all weirdly domestic.

" _Joe, can you drink yours in my office_?" Regina asked handing him the tall glass with condensation running down the side. He nodded and started to leave the room " _use a coaster!"_ Regina called after him.

" _yes ma'am_ " He saluted with his free hand.

 _"_ _I've missed you,"_ Emma muttered as Regina took a seat next to her at the breakfast bar.

" _I saw you yesterday dear."_

 _"_ _I know, but I hate it when you're not there."_

 _"_ _I understand_ " Regina took a sip from her drink and Emma copied, her eyes opening wide in surprise as the flavour swirled on her tongue. " _Do you like it?"_

 _"_ _It's delicious_ " Emma took a longer drink before looking at Regina. Her smile was making the blonde's heart race. Regina watched the girl sitting beside her, her cheeks turning pink from the alcohol, her blonde hair falling effortlessly over her shoulders, her eyes sparkling as she smiled. Her eyes moved to her lower lip, a drop of cider running slowly over it and Regina lost all inhibitions. She leant forward and captured the bottom lip between her own, hearing the sigh from the blonde above her as she placed her cup down and used both hands to grab the older woman's face pulling her in. Emma moved her lips fluidly against Regina's, the flavour of apples lingering on their breaths. Regina tilted her head, deepening the kiss as she stood up from the barstool pulling up the blonde with her. Then walked forward, forcing Emma to walk backwards until her back hit a wall. She placed one hand on the wall next to Emma's head as the other undid the buttons on her sheer shirt. " _as much as I love this shirt, it needs to go_ " she mumbled into Emma's mouth not wanting to break the kiss.

" _Regina_ " Joe called from just outside the kitchen. The older woman ignored her best friend and continued undoing Emma's shirt with one hand, moving the other to grip into blonde locks. " _Regina!"_ Joe shouted.

 _"_ _what?_ ' Regina growled not moving a single muscle away from the enticing girl in front of her.

" _you can't."_

 _"_ _I can do what I like, Joe_ " Regina mumbled as the blonde's shirt flew open and she started on her jeans.

" _Regina stop_ " Joe stormed into the room and grabbed his friends arm pulling her away. Emma turned around, cheeks flushing a bright red and re-buttoned her shirt as fast as she could.

" _Joe, I swear to God. I will hurt you_ " Regina was in full attack mode, and it was more than a little scary. Her heels boosted her to the same height as Joe but he wasn't showing any signs of fear, in fact, he took a step towards her. " _Regina, we spoke about this earlier. You cannot sleep with Emma; she is 17_." Their noses were almost touching as the two stared each other down.

" _do I get a say in this?"_ Emma spoke up breaking the Mexican stand-off happening a few feet away.

" _no_ ," Joe said as Regina insisted " _yes."_

 _"_ _Regina, I want this. I really do. But I don't want to get you into trouble, and I don't want you going to prison because of me. We can wait until I'm 18. That's only like nine months."_ Emma attempted to reduce the tension in the room slowly edging towards the brunette and wrapping her arms around her. Regina relaxed into her embrace and rested her chin on Emma's shoulder closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. "It's okay, we can wait" she whispered into the nurse's hair. Joe sighed; watching his best friend so torn apart was difficult at best.

" _why don't we watch a movie or something?"_ He suggested.

" _can we play a board game? Do you have any Regina_?" Emma asked pulling away slightly from the warm body in her arms to look at her face.

" _I have chess?"_

 _"_ _well that's fucking dull"_ Emma mumbled under her breath.

" _language!"_ Regina exclaimed batting her upper arm lightly with the back of her hand.

" _she is right Reggie; Chess is shit_ " Joe joined in with a cheeky smirk.

" _You're a bad influence on her"_ Regina cupped her hands over Emma's ears, wrinkles appearing around her eyes as she smiled.

" _we all know that she is the bad influence_ " Joe chuckled jumping forward and tickled Emma's ribs causing her to squeal and sprint away with Joe quick on her tail leaving a laughing Regina standing in her kitchen wondering how her life had changed so much in such a short amount of time.

* * *

 _"…_ _so they took my bath plug_ " Emma explained to Joe.

" _Well I sure would've too, doll_ " Joe responded from a beanbag on the floor.

" _Yeah, I know. I just miss having baths_ " the blonde looked pointedly at Regina who was curled up on the couch next to her, heels placed neatly on the ground and her ankles crossed underneath her. _"I'm not giving you the bath plug back, dear, so you can stop looking at me like a lost puppy_ " the older woman quipped back with a raised eyebrow " _however if you wish you are more than welcome to bathe here."_

 _"_ _but I didn't bring a change of clothes."_

 _"_ _you can borrow something of mine; it is no problem."_

 _"_ _Awesome! Lead the way_ " Emma smiled.

Joe reached for the Xbox remote to keep himself entertained but kept the volume down so he could keep an ear on the two women. _"Y'all better keep your hands to yourselves_ " he called after them " _I'll be checking"._

Regina led Emma upstairs and stopped on the landing, thinking.

" _what's up_?" Emma asked with a furrowed brow.

" _My ensuite or the main bathroom?"_

 _"_ _Either is fine."_

She took a deep breath before mumbling " _mine it is_ " and opened the door to her bedroom. Emma's eyes widened. The bedroom was the size of her lounge and dining room back home put together. The walls were painted a dark grey with the carpet a lighter shade. Her bed, a dark brown four poster with red silk sheets, pillows neatly piled up near the top. At the end of the bed was a red loveseat with black cushions on either end. It was like something you'd see in a palace.

" _woah_ ," Emma whispers to herself.

" _bathroom's this way_ " Regina called behind her refusing to look at the blonde running her hand over her bed sheet as she walked over to a dark wood door at the far end of the room.

The entire room was built of a dark grey marble. It was beautiful. The bathtub stood on a raised platform with steps leading up to it; if you could even call it a bathtub. It was the size of a hot tub.

Regina, still barefooted, walked up the steps and used a remote to run the bath, manually adding some of her apple bubble bath into the filling tub. " _high tech bath you got there, Mills."_

" _you sounded just like Joe there_ " Regina chuckled placing the bottle back on the side of the tub.

" _well, he is my uncle_ " Emma joked.

" _yes, dear. Wait here while I get you some clothes"_ Regina walked out of the room, and Emma walked around the room inspecting the different bottles on the shelves.

Regina came back a few minutes later holding a small pile of clothes placing them on a small side table by the sink " _these look similar to your current clothes so no-one should notice_ "

" _Thank you, Regina_ " Emma grabbed her hips and pulled her in for a crushing kiss.

After a moment or 10 Regina pulled back " _I'm not complaining but what was that for?"_ she asked running her hands up and down Emma's arms. " _I just really um.. I like you a lot_ " Emma looked everywhere but the eyes boring into her. " _I like you a lot too, dear"_ Regina smiled, her eyes brightening uncharacteristically " _right. Clothes off_."

Emma smirked, holding back the joke that she felt would be way too easy and unbuttoned her shirt for the second time that evening. Regina turned away knowing that if she saw the porcelain skin underneath that shirt that her resolve would weaken instantly. Emma stripped, climbed into the bath and manually turned off the taps. " _you can look now_ " she said, her knees up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. The older woman turned cautiously, her own arms wrapped around her abdomen tightly. Perching on the bottom step of the bath platform they talked until the water turned cold. After redressing and deciding it was probably best if Emma left sooner rather than later as it was getting late, the two women were holding each other in the reception area of Regina's home. " _I will see you in two days, sweetheart_."

" _I don't want to go back there."_

 _"_ _I know baby. I know_."

* * *

The car journey back was silent as Emma looked out of the window slowly caressing the fabric of Regina's jeans on her thigh. Pulling up to the hospital Joe parked the car and looked over at Emma, the girl on the verge of tears. " _everything will be ok; you won't be here forever."_

" _I know; I just miss Regina."_

 _"_ _She feels the same, honey_ " he grabbed her hand and squeezed lightly.

" _I don't think she does_ " Emma mumbled as a rough thumb stroked over her knuckles.

" _I haven't known Regina that long; but I have spent a lot of time with her. She doesn't smile at anyone like she smiles at you._ "

" _but once I leave here we won't see each other again"_ a single tear ran down Emma's pink cheeks.

" _she loves you, Emma; she isn't going to let you go."_

Emma turned her head so fast it clicked, " _she loves me?"_ her eyes sparkled with moisture threatening to tumble over mixed with hope.

" _if you can't see it doll, you need your eyes checked_ " Joe chuckled and opened the car door.

* * *

Back on the ward, Emma couldn't stop smiling as she made herself a cup of tea. The night staff had just arrived, so the floor was skeleton staff until handover finished. Ruby skipped into the kitchen " _oh hey em! How was your day at your uncles?"_ she smiled, but her eyes narrowed glancing down at Emma's body as she squeezed past the blonde to get a mug. " _it was good thanks, Rubes, he made my favourite food, and it was awesome_ ".

" _I haven't seen that outfit before_ " Ruby furrowed her brows in thought " _were you wearing that this morning?"_

Emma froze " _uhh, yeah of course I was"_

 _"_ _and you smell different_ " Ruby continued ignoring Emma's response "it's familiar… apples?"

" _I sprayed my uncle's girlfriend's perfume_ " Emma adlibbed impressing herself. Ruby didn't look convinced but seemed to let it go. They made their drinks in relative silence; Ruby grabbed her mug blowing on the steaming liquid and moved to walk out of the small room.

" _be careful Emma_."

" _what?_ " Emma looked behind her at the tall brunette with a raised eyebrow.

" _if I know, it won't take long before someone else works it out_ " Ruby didn't look up from the swirling liquid in her mug.

" _I have no idea what the fuck you mean Ruby_."

Two pairs of green eyes met.

" _you smell like Regina."_

Neither realised Kathryn was outside the door.


End file.
